Australia

Taiwan would be a great member of a regional trade bloc that Australia is part of, given its track record as a “trusted economic partner,” a visiting Australian lawmaker said yesterday.

In contrast, China, which also seeks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), had quite a "difficult trading relationship" with Australia over the past years, said Richard Colbeck, a senator for Tasmania representing the Liberal Party.

"And to be frank, that should be considered as a part of our consideration of their membership" into the CPTPP, he said during an interview in Taipei.

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Colbeck made the remarks when asked to comment on Taiwan's goal of joining the CPTPP, one of the biggest trade blocs in the world, representing around 15 percent of the global economy.

It currently has 12 members — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the UK.

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