Taiwan is willing to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said today (02/10) that if Taiwan joins, it will help expand the economic and trade influence of the CPTPP, and also meet the high standards through regulatory amendments, and implement the actual performance of trade commitments, hoping that CPTPP members will avoid political considerations and should fairly and objectively review Taiwan’s membership case.
The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research today held an international seminar on “Promoting Supply Chain Resilience, CPTPP Thinking and Strategies”, which was attended by Lin Chia-lung, Institute President Lien Hsien-Ming, and Jenny Yang, Political Councilor and Chief Negotiator of the Economic and Trade Negotiation Office of the Executive Yuan.
Lin Chia-lung said that the CPTPP provides the highest quality and standard trade requirements, so that all members can share the benefits of trade, Taiwan is an export-oriented country, and stable international market access is very important for Taiwan’s economy. In the inaugural speech on May 20, President Lai Ching-te said that Taiwan has applied to join the CPTPP and continues to actively participate in regional economic integration activities, which is a priority policy goal of the Taiwan authorities.
Lin said that after taking over as foreign minister, he promoted integrated diplomatic work, including value-oriented economic and democratic alliances, and promoted economic and trade diplomatic relations, and Taiwan’s participation in the CPTPP is also one of the important projects of comprehensive work.
In recent years, geopolitical changes have affected the global supply chain. Lin Chia-lung said that some authoritarian countries want to achieve political goals through economic coercion, so that like-minded countries such as the United States and the European Union give priority to supply chain diversification and diversification issues to reduce dependence on China and adopt policies to improve economic resilience and security.
Lin Chia-lung said that semiconductor research and development, ICT information and communication industry, system integration and manufacturing are Taiwan’s strengths, Taiwan plays an important role in maintaining economic security and global supply chain stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and if Taiwan joins the CPTPP, it will help expand the economic and trade influence of the CPTPP.
In terms of economic and trade data, Lin Chia-lung said that Taiwan’s exports ranked 16th in the world last year, with a total trade volume of about 784 billion US dollars, ranking 19th, Taiwan has the ability to make more concrete and substantial contributions to the global trading system, in order to meet the CPTPP membership requirements, Taiwan has also revised its regulations, and after passing the membership review, it will be able to further open the CPTPP market.
Lin Chia-lung said that Taiwan has joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) for 22 years and continues to implement international rules, despite the trade war and increasingly tense international situation, Taiwan still abides by its commitments, resolves various disputes, and continues to promote a transparent, predictable and rules-based trading system.
In addition to the top semiconductor supply chain, Taiwan is also actively promoting the dual-axis transformation of green and digital. Lin Chia-lung said that by the end of 2023, the capacity of renewable energy installations has reached 17.9GW, an eightfold increase compared with 2016; in terms of digital transformation, Taiwan has many advanced solutions for automated manufacturing, and after joining the CPTPP, it can accelerate the industrial upgrading of member countries through manufacturing expertise.
Lin Chia-lung said that the 2023 CPTPP member resolution is based on the Auckland Principles to review all members, that is, for potential members who want to join, they must meet the CPTPP’s high standards, the performance of implementing trade norms commitments, and obtain the consensus of all members.
Lin Chia-lung expressed the hope that CPTPP members can reach a consensus on the first two principles, avoid political considerations, judge only based on economic and trade issues, and all membership applications should be reviewed from a fair and objective point of view, and hope that CPTPP members will conduct bilateral consultations with Taiwan, establish a working group on Taiwan’s membership application, and support Taiwan’s accession.
Lien Hsien-Ming said that CPTPP is one of the most advanced and liberalized trade agreements in the world, with 12 member economies and the GDP accounting for about 15% of the world’s total. Taiwan is located at the core of the Asia-Pacific region and an important part of the global supply chain, and if it joins the CPTPP, it can not only promote regional trade liberalization and enhance industrial competitiveness, but also contribute to the promotion of high-tech industries and reduce global supply chain risks.
台灣積極尋求加入跨太平洋夥伴全面進步協定(CPTPP)。外交部長林佳龍於今日（2日）表示，台灣的加入將有助於擴大CPTPP的經貿影響力，並透過法規的調整來符合高標準的要求，實現貿易承諾的具體成果。他希望CPTPP的成員國能夠避免政治因素的干擾，對台灣的入會申請進行公平且客觀的審查。
中經院今日舉辦了名為「促進供應鏈韌性，CPTPP應有思維與策略」的國際研討會，林佳龍、中經院院長連賢明及行政院政務委員暨經貿談判辦公室總談判代表楊珍妮等人均出席。
林佳龍指出，CPTPP提供了最高品質和標準的貿易要求，使所有成員國能夠共享貿易帶來的利益。作為一個出口導向的國家，穩定的國際市場對台灣經濟至關重要。賴清德總統在5月20日的就職演說中提到，台灣已申請加入CPTPP，並持續積極參與區域經濟整合活動，這是政府的優先政策目標。
林佳龍表示，自接任外交部長以來，他推動整合式外交工作，強調以價值為導向的經濟及民主聯盟，同時促進經濟和貿易方面的外交關係。台灣參與CPTPP也是其全面性工作的關鍵項目之一。
近年來，地緣政治的變化影響了全球供應鏈。林佳龍提到，一些威權國家利用經濟脅迫手段追求政治目標，這使得美國、歐盟等志同道合的國家更加重視供應鏈的風險分散和多樣化，以減少對中國的依賴，並採取增強經濟韌性和安全的政策。
林佳龍指出，半導體研發、資訊通信技術（ICT）產業、系統整合及製造等領域是台灣的優勢所在。台灣在維護亞太地區的經濟安全及全球供應鏈的穩定方面，扮演著關鍵角色。若台灣能夠加入CPTPP，將有助於擴大該協定的經貿影響力。
在經貿數據方面，林佳龍提到，台灣去年在全球出口中排名第16，總貿易額約為7840億美元，排名第19。台灣具備為全球貿易體系提供更具體貢獻的能力。為了符合CPTPP的入會要求，台灣已進行法規修訂，通過入會審查後，將能進一步開拓CPTPP市場。
林佳龍強調，台灣自加入世界貿易組織（WTO）以來已經22年，持續遵循國際規則。儘管貿易戰及國際局勢日益緊張，台灣仍然堅守承諾，解決各種爭端，並持續推動透明、可預測及以規則為基礎的貿易體系。
除了擁有頂尖的半導體供應鏈外，台灣也在積極推動綠色及數位雙軸轉型。林佳龍表示，至2023年底，台灣的再生能源裝置容量已達17.9GW，較2016年增長了8倍；在數位轉型方面，台灣擁有多項自動化製造業的先進解決方案，若加入CPTPP，將能透過製造業的專業知識加速會員國的工業升級。
林佳龍指出，2023年CPTPP成員的決議是基於「奧克蘭原則」對所有申請入會的成員進行審查。這意味著，對於有意加入的潛在成員，必須符合CPTPP的高標準，實現貿易規範的承諾，並獲得所有成員的共識等三項基本原則。
林佳龍希望CPTPP的成員能在前兩項原則上達成共識，避免受到政治因素的影響，僅根據經濟貿易議題進行判斷，所有入會申請應以公平和客觀的標準進行審查。他期待CPTPP成員與台灣展開雙邊磋商，成立專門小組以支持台灣的入會申請。
連賢明表示，CPTPP是全球最先進且自由化的貿易協定之一，目前擁有12個成員經濟體，這些經濟體的國內生產毛額(GDP)約占全球的15%。台灣位於亞太地區的核心，並且是全球供應鏈的重要一環，若能加入CPTPP，不僅能促進區域貿易自由化、提升產業競爭力，還能為高科技產業的發展貢獻力量，降低全球供應鏈的風險。
