Given all the strategic and security implications, joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement would be “immensely advantageous” for Taiwan, a new study said.
“It is imperative for Taiwan to knit itself into the economic and commercial fabric of the Asia- Pacific,” a National Bureau of Asian Research study said.
The study concludes that being a bystander at a time of accelerating regional integration would inevitably reduce the nation’s competitiveness and marginalize its role.
Written by trade expert Kevin Nealer and energy specialist Margaux Fimbres, the study said that TPP membership would make Taiwan more competitive, create trade diversification and reduce economic dependence on China.
It gives the incoming administration of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) four pieces of advice for undertaking the reforms needed to gain TPP entry.
First, work on the services sector where success would be most easily achieved before tackling more difficult reforms in agriculture and investor-state dispute settlement.
Second, do not consider the TPP as competition with China but rather consider membership on its own merits.
Third, engage in bilateral discussions with the 12 TPP nations — especially Japan — before launching a drive to enter the partnership in a second round of negotiations for potential new members.
Fourth, continue to pursue closer economic cooperation with the US through the trade and investment agreement framework.
“The TPP will require Taiwan to undertake comprehensive reforms that may prove politically difficult, raising the core question of whether the government can persuade a wary population to support a regional trade agreement that many see as leading to more job losses and a decline in economic opportunity,” the study said.
“The high standards of the TPP would leave little room for protectionism and inefficient trade policies. Concessions on tariff and non-tariff barriers would be daunting for Taiwan, given that joining the TPP would have implications for intellectual property, labor rights, investment and the environment,” the study said.
However, the alternative is simply unacceptable to the nation’s regional position and global competitiveness, the study said.
A major challenge might come in the form of opposition from China and other Asian nations might refuse to pursue economic ties with the island at the risk of offending Beijing, the study said.
Nevertheless, the nation has an opportunity now to take the necessary steps toward TPP membership, the study said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS