Taiwan Questions China’s Suitability for Pacific Trade Pact, Fears ‘Obstruction’

Taiwan Questions China’s Suitability for Pacific Trade Pact, Fears ‘Obstruction’
Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua speaks during an interview in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sept. 30, 2021. Ann Wang/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TAIPEI—China’s restrictive practices present fundamental problems for its application to join a major pan-Pacific free trade pact, and if it joins before Taiwan there is a risk it could block their application, the island’s economy minister said.

Taiwan and China both applied last month to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), but China says it opposes Taiwan joining.