Taiwan says TPP bid should be assessed on merit, independent of China

Taiwan said Thursday its application for inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact was not motivated by China's request to join and that its submission should be assessed on its own economic merits.Trade representative John Deng told a press conference at the Executive Yuan, or Cabinet, that President Tsai Ing-wen has been pushing for accession to what is formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership since she was first elected in 2016.He said Taiwan has undertaken extensive consultations with the current member states on the topic."…READ FULL ARTICLE