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nealer and fimbres • taiwan and regional trade organizations<br />
that Taiwan would use in the agreement. In the case of WTO negotiations,<br />
China did not oppose the use of language recognizing “the Separate Customs<br />
Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.”<br />
One possible solution, then, is for Taipei and Beijing to join the TPP<br />
nearly simultaneously, as was done with WTO accession. Yet while this may be<br />
Taiwan’s only option (depending on China’s stance), it should not be Taiwan’s<br />
first choice. Both sides would need to implement significant reforms to be<br />
“TPP ready,” including in areas such as government procurement, which would<br />
likely take several years in the case of China. Because investment decisions<br />
are being made now based on expectations set by the TPP, investment will<br />
move before the deal is finalized and implemented. For Taiwan, the longer it<br />
is excluded from the TPP, the more significant the implications.<br />
Further complicating matters, other Asian nations may be reluctant to<br />
pursue economic ties with Taiwan at the risk of offending Beijing. Although<br />
the issue of political sovereignty (i.e., Taiwan’s status as a nonstate participant)<br />
has largely been addressed outside Taiwan, with most nations (including the<br />
United States) following a “one China” policy, gray areas still exist with regard to<br />
Taiwan’s economic space in the international arena. For example, the mainland<br />
did not block Taiwan from joining the WTO, the Asian Development Bank,<br />
or APEC. In particular, membership in APEC, which focused on economic<br />
and trade issues, is not based on sovereign political identity but on economic<br />
identity. 22 On the other hand, the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment<br />
Bank rejected Taiwan as a founding member in April 2015, despite Taiwan’s<br />
hope that APEC would serve as a model for its bid. Chinese officials stated<br />
that Taiwan may be able to join in the future under an “appropriate name.” 23<br />
The issue of political sovereignty creates gray areas when it comes to Taiwan<br />
joining international agreements, and third parties often look to Beijing to set<br />
the tone. Should Taiwan decide to seek TPP membership, unanimous consent<br />
from all founding members is required, which leaves room for China to sway<br />
states against Taiwan’s participation if it so chooses.<br />
22 Chen-shen J. Yen, “China and Taiwan’s Window of Opportunity at APEC,” Diplomat, September 30,<br />
2014 u http://thediplomat.com/2014/09/china-and-taiwans-window-of-opportunity-at-apec.<br />
23 William Kazer, “Taiwan’s Ma Ying-jeou Believes AIIB Rejection Due to ‘Political<br />
Considerations,’ ” Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2015 u http://www.wsj.com/articles/<br />
taiwans-ma-ying-jeou-believes-aiib-rejection-due-to-political-considerations-1431293643.<br />
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