Japan’s deputy representative to Taiwan on Monday cautioned Taiwan against being overly optimistic of its bid to join the CPTPP, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The comments were addressed by several Taiwan officials on Tuesday, who said Taiwan would do its best to join the trade bloc. Among them, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin says the Japanese official’s comments were simply a reminder for Taiwan to be proactive in negotiating deals to join the agreement.

Taiwan only recently submitted an application to join the CPTPP. But Japan’s deputy representative to Taiwan Hoshino Mitsuaki on Monday said Taiwan was being too optimistic about its prospects. When asked to comment on Hoshino’s remarks, Premier Su Tseng-chang and economics minister Wang Mei-hua said the following.

Su Tseng-chang
Premier
The government will try to secure a spot and facilitate efforts to join any thing and any organization that is beneficial to the Taiwanese people and to Taiwanese trade.

Wang Mei-hua
Economics minister
We are very grateful that Japan welcomed our participation when we expressed our intentions to join the CPTPP. Moving forward, there are still many countries we will have to negotiate with. Of course it won’t be an easy matter.

When asked by media, National Development Council minister Kung Ming-hsin龔明鑫 said he felt Japan would make efforts to help Taiwan join the trade bloc.

Kung Ming-hsin
National Development Council minister
Mr. Hoshino knows me well. We meet regularly. When we get together, he says that his main job in Taiwan - his most important task - is to help Taiwan join the CPTPP. Each country has its own areas of concern. So we have to be proactive and negotiate with each of them.

Supporters say that joining the CPTPP would allow Taiwan to enjoy preferential tariff treatment and expand in foreign markets. For an export oriented country like Taiwan, it’s an opportunity to connect with international trade partners.

Roy Lee
Taiwan WTO & RTA Center
For our part, we should be 100% prepared, and we should show that we are ready to other countries. That way, we can ask them to help us lay down some basic conditions. So if in its application process, China asks other members to reject Taiwan’s bid, or asks them to process Taiwan’s application after its own, the other member countries will know how to respond.

There are many challenges ahead for Taiwan’s CPTPP bid, but that has not dampened efforts to join the trade bloc. Officials say joining the pact could mark an important step forward for Taiwan’s international trade relations.