Vice Premier Chang San-cheng today instructed relevant ministries to stringently keep track of progress made on economic and trade liberalization measures and to proactively complete complementary tasks for joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Chang made these remarks while presiding over the 13th meeting of the Cabinet-level task force on international trade and strategic alliances and ninth meeting of the ad hoc task force on the TPP and RCEP. He was briefed by relevant ministries on the liberalization measures and appraisal reports of the nation's efforts to join the two organizations.
The government has been proactively preparing for entry to the TPP since 2014, the Executive Yuan stated. Based on the high standard of the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement, ROC's laws and regulations have been examined for discrepancies with the global norm. The government has been working to align various measures with the global standard and hopes to complete these tasks expediently to join the TPP.
The Executive Yuan pointed out that TPP member nations originally aimed to finalize negotiations at the ministerial meetings held July 28-31 in Hawaii. However, differences in several issues prevented the nations from reaching a final agreement. Nevertheless, these ministers released a joint statement stating that the Hawaii meetings had achieved much progress and that reaching an agreement is just a matter of time.
The Executive Yuan stated that though a final agreement has not been reached, the nation's preparations to join the TPP will not halt. The Executive Yuan has instructed relevant ministries to closely monitor TPP development and be prepared and readied for the second round of negotiations to join the regional organization.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) stated that the administration had conducted more than 130 communication activities with various counties' and cities' industry associations and unions, as well as schools and universities.
This year, aside from continuing to enhance dialogues with the above sectors, the MOEA has elaborated on the nation's progress in TPP preparations and taken suggestions at the associations' and unions' board of directors and supervisors meetings. Additionally, for the first time the ministry has gone to high school campuses to introduce regional economic integration concepts to students via a lively and animated style and heard the students' views on the issue.