The Mainland Affairs Council today (September 23, 2021) expressed the following solemn position regarding the unreasonable interference and obstructive statements and actions aimed at thwarting Taiwan’s participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):
1. The Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state. Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China. We are already a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and other international economic and trade organizations; therefore, Taiwan has the inherent prerogative as a member of the international community to participate in the negotiation of any regional economic cooperation or agreement. No country or individual has the right to interfere with or criticize our international participation. The CCP authorities have a long history of wielding its coercive "one China” principle in the international arena, a political framework used to denigrate and prevent Taiwan from participating in international economic blocs or agreements. Such behavior has simply reflected Beijing's bullying of the weak and disregard of the existing rules of international organizations. It hurts the feelings of the people of Taiwan, contributes nothing to the positive development of cross-Strait relations, and will not win the pervasive support of free democracies in the world.
2. The government’s campaign for joining the CPTPP is aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s economic and trade links with countries in the region and enhancing the vitality and competitiveness of Taiwan's economy. Taiwan has formally submitted application to join the CPTPP on September 22, 2021, and has been welcomed by related countries. President Tsai Ing-wen stated that, with Taiwan’s inclusion, the CPTPP will be much more influential and capable of making greater contribution to the high-quality global free trade. The government will actively promote economic and trade cooperation with other like-minded countries to broaden Taiwan’s economic outreach and diversity. The government has also been communicating to the public regarding the incompatibility between the CCP’s political claims and realities of international economic and trade; by doing so, we expect to maintain the momentum of international support.
3. We call on the Beijing authorities to face up to the cross-Strait reality, duly revamp and amend the regulations and systems necessary for engaging in regional economic integration, adopt fair trade practices, and promote mutually beneficial cooperation. Moreover, the CCP should discard its hostile and confrontational mindset and renounce unreasonable suppression of and irrational political moves against Taiwan. Only these changes are truly conducive to the economic co-prosperity and development of the Asia-Pacific region.