Officials yesterday declined to comment on a recent report suggesting that discussions on Taiwan’s membership in a regional trade bloc had been put off.

“At the moment, [we have] no further comment on the matter,” Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news briefing in Taipei.

She was responding to a media question about Politico’s report that members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) had decided to put off discussions on the ascensions of Taiwan and China.

Photo: CNA

“We are awaiting a joint statement by the CPTPP,” Lee said, adding that she hoped the situation would be clearer after the bloc’s commission meeting in Vancouver, Canada, yesterday and today.

The Politico report cited sources familiar with the matter as saying that while Taiwan was, along with Costa Rica, one of “the two most prepared applicants” for the trade pact, its ascension “has not garnered consensus among certain members, notably Malaysia and Singapore.”

Taiwan’s bid had been held up “because of the politics with China,” which submitted its own application to the CPTPP in September 2021, less than a week before Taiwan, the report added.

Beijing opposes Taipei’s accession to the CPTPP, which has led officials to worry that a successful bid by China could sink Taiwan’s hopes of joining the bloc.

Lee at yesterday’s briefing said that Taiwan “adheres to the three ‘Auckland Principles’ to meet the high standards of the CPTPP,” referring to the requirements set by the bloc for new memberships.

The Office of Trade Negotiations also declined to comment on the report.

Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), the office head and the country’s top trade negotiator at an economic forum in Taipei last month described joining the CPTPP — a regional bloc of 12 member states that represent about 15 percent of the global economy — as “essential for Taiwan.”

“Taiwan’s exclusion from the CPTPP would limit our ability to adapt and enhance our competitiveness,” Yang said, adding that it would also be a “missed opportunity” for the pact’s members, as they would lose out on “Taiwan’s unique strengths” in advanced technologies and other areas.