Taiwan should take advantage of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) platform to promote its bid for membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Premier Mao Chi-kuo said today.
"Participating in the second round of TPP negotiations is high on the national agenda," the premier said. "Government agencies should use APEC to address the concerns of TPP members, deepen bilateral cooperation with them, and drum up support for Taiwan."
Mao made the remarks after hearing a briefing on Taiwan's participation in the 2015 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and APEC Ministerial Meeting, delivered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), National Development Council (NDC) and Council of Agriculture.
Many of Taiwan's initiatives were incorporated into the APEC ministerial joint statement, which demonstrates international affirmation for Taiwan's contributions, the MOEA and NDC reported. Taiwan will continue supporting APEC topics and participate in individual forums to propose initiatives and strengthen cooperative relationships.
For 2016, APEC agenda topics will include human capital development, development of food markets, small and medium-sized enterprise sector modernization, and regional economic integration. Mao asked the agencies concerned to examine how Taiwan can contribute to these issues and to propose concrete initiatives at an early time. Results from this year's efforts can serve as a foundation for deepening Taiwan's cooperation with APEC members and exploring new global opportunities, he added.
Premier Mao also referred to the 2015 Asia Pacific Open Data Summit held in Taiwan last month, during which representatives announced preparations for an Asian Open Data Alliance. Taiwan will serve as first-term chair of the alliance and take on secretariat duties. Mao asked agencies to look into the possibility of including open data topics into the APEC framework as well.