Taiwan has submitted an application to join a major Pacific trade deal that includes Japan, just days after China sent its own request to become a member of the agreement which was once pushed by the U.S. as a way to isolate Beijing and solidify American dominance in the region.
The Taiwanese application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership was sent to New Zealand, according to two people familiar with the situation. Taiwan’s government will announce the decision Thursday morning, according to one of the people.
Taiwan already has free-trade deals with two of the members — New Zealand and Singapore — and has been working toward joining the trade agreement for years, with President Tsai Ing-wen making it a key goal for her final term in office. However, China opposes any move to deal openly with Taiwan, which will make the discussions between Beijing, Taipei and the 11 member nations difficult.
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