TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Friday (Dec. 29) responded to Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih’s (侯友宜) claim that Taiwan’s economy is stagnating.
Hou made his comments during the third policy presentation event on Thursday (Dec. 28).
Seeking participation in international economic and trade mechanisms is a crucial government policy, which the ministry has vigorously pursued, MOFA said in a statement. Efforts are also made to strengthen substantive bilateral economic and trade cooperation with major trading partners, it said.
However, these endeavors continue to face “malicious obstruction” from China. Negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), formerly known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, began in 2008 during the Kuomintang's administration, MOFA said.
Despite already signing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and other economic and trade negotiations with China between 2008 and 2016, Taiwan is facing difficulty in becoming a member of the global trade agreement, the ministry said. Similarly, negotiations to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership began in 2012 and Taiwan was ultimately unable to join.
These examples demonstrate that there is no genuine intention or support from China for Taiwan's participation in regional integration, MOFA said. “Beijing has consistently aimed to block Taiwan's international space, politically and economically,” it said.
Taiwan's strategy to engage in economic integration lies in its own capabilities and international connections, the ministry said. China's expansionist ambitions in recent years, coupled with the mainstream focus of the U.S. and Europe on economic security and supply chain resilience, have led to a reevaluation of economic and trade risks associated with China, it pointed out.
This reaffirms Taiwan's critical position in the global supply chain, MOFA said.
Since President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration, the government has promoted the “Taiwan to the World” initiative. In addition to applying for CPTPP membership in 2021, agreements including the agreement under the Taiwan-U.S. 21st Century Trade Initiative, the Taiwan-Canada Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement, and the Taiwan-U.K. Enhanced Trade Partnership Agreement were signed this year.
The Taiwan-South Korea double taxation avoidance agreement has already come into effect and significant advancements have been made in negotiations for a Taiwan-U.S. double taxation avoidance agreement. These are prime examples of successes achieved independently, without relying on China, MOFA said.
The ministry reiterated its call for bipartisan foreign affairs cooperation, urging unity among Taiwanese to collectively address external challenges and continue expanding substantive cooperation with like-minded nations.
