Australia should help Taiwan join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Edward Tao (陶令文), director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Brisbane said on Wednesday (Aug. 16).

In an interview published in both The Australian and The Courier-Mail, Tao said that nearly 35% of Taiwan’s exports are shipped to China, which is why the nation is trying to diversify its markets. “We don’t want to put all of our eggs in one basket as it is a very dangerous basket.”

The director said that although China’s missile launchings and live-fire military drills around Taiwan have caused unprecedented tension in the region, economic and trade relations between democratic countries, including Australia, are still growing.

In 2021, the value of Taiwan's product purchases from Queensland reached 3.3 billion Australian dollars (NT$69.6 billion), he said, most of which are coal and beef.

Tao pointed out that although Taiwan and China have many cultural and economic ties, according to a number of polls over the past 30 years, more and more Taiwanese consider themselves Taiwanese rather than Chinese. Taiwan hopes to resolve tensions through dialogue with China, but Taiwanese will not accept the "one China" precondition set by Beijing, he said.

With regard to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Tao said the country has received statements of support from the State Department and the Pentagon. “Nancy Pelosi has been a longtime friend of Taiwan for many years and has always been a defender of human rights,” he added.

The director called on Taiwan’s allies to provide more political support, saying, “We are actually in the frontline of the war between democracy and an authoritarian regime so we hope that the international community including Australia, will work with us in all ways.”

In February, the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade recommended the government “encourage and facilitate” CPTPP membership for Taiwan, the U.K., and South Korea, according to an Australian Parliament press release.

Source: Taiwan News

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