Taiwan wants Australian help to join the trans-Pacific partnership. 

Taiwan has called upon the Australian government to endorse its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This request comes at a time when China seeks to isolate Taiwan on the global stage.

David Cheng-Wei Wu, the director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney, says a working group should be formed within CPTPP to discuss Taiwan's inclusion. Australia is a member of this trade deal.

Despite Chinese pressure on the Australian government to limit its ties with Taiwan, Wu says Australia should engage with both Taiwan and China.

“We welcome the Australian bipartisan delegation and other friends from the globe to visit Taiwan, and Beijing has no right to decide how Taiwan engages with the world,” Mr Wu said.

“We strongly oppose China’s coercion and interference against people’s freedom of travel and speech.”

China, however, opposes Taiwan's involvement in international agreements and bodies, considering Taiwan a renegade province under its One China policy.

Although Australia has not openly opposed China's bid to join CPTPP, it has indicated its intention to resist coercive trade practices and adhere to the high standards required of CPTPP members.

Wu pointed out that Taiwan, which ranks as Australia's seventh-largest trading partner, is more than qualified to join CPTPP, noting that it has bilateral trade agreements with New Zealand and Singapore. 

With Canada set to chair the CPTPP commission next year, Taiwan seeks to establish a working group among its members to evaluate Taiwan's application.

Wu argues that it is essential to consider both China's and Taiwan's applications simultaneously, as Taiwan could face significant obstacles if China were to join first. 

He expressed concerns that the Chinese government might block Taiwan's application using the consensus model for admitting new members.

Wu has also highlighted Taiwan's indispensable role in global supply chains and stressed the importance of democratic countries uniting against authoritarian regimes like China and Russia.

As Taiwan gears up for presidential elections next year, Wu acknowledged that Beijing had been running a disinformation campaign while increasing military sorties across the Taiwan Strait to record levels. 

However, he suggested that such pressure was having a counterproductive effect, as Taiwanese people were growing increasingly disenchanted with the Chinese regime.