TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The foreign ministry said Taiwan will continue its bid to join the CPTPP trade agreement following member countries' decision to put its application on hold at a meeting in Canada last week.

MOFA Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs Director Lien Yu-ping (連玉蘋) expressed regret at the decision on Tuesday (Dec. 3) but said Taiwan's efforts to join the trade bloc will continue. “Taiwan’s member application has not been shelved,” Lien said at a ministry press conference.

Lien said Taiwan’s diplomats, trade officials, and foreign businesspeople will continue demonstrating to CPTPP members that it meets the standards. She said Taiwan has already held “pre-consultations” with about half of the CPTPP’s 11 member countries who said Taiwan qualifies. 

Lien said Taiwan’s next step is to convince the other members. She noted that the CPTPP members’ decision to progress Costa Rica’s application, submitted in 2022, showed the group did not work on a “first come first served” basis.

Lien said the CPTPP’s 2024 convening member Canada had suggested to Taiwan the idea of an “informal standing forum” for members to discuss applications during a May meeting. She said Canada suggested this would be a fair and efficient way to discuss applications.

CPTPP members state applicants must “meet the agreement’s high standards, have a demonstrated pattern of complying with trade commitments, and the ability to gain consensus support from CPTPP members" to join the pact. 

Asked if she believed China had influenced the decision to put Taiwan’s application on hold, Lien said Taiwan must work harder than other countries to participate in international affairs. She said there is no way to know how China would respond if Taiwan’s application progressed.

Since Taiwan was not part of the Vancouver meeting on Thursday (Nov. 28), Lin could not confirm whether countries opposed Taiwan’s bid.

China applied to join the CPTPP about a week before Taiwan in 2021, and its application was also put on hold at the Thursday meeting. China opposes Taiwan's application, while CPTPP members Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia have said they support China's membership.