TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret Friday about the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership failing to set up a working group to review Taiwan’s membership bid.

A ministers meeting of the trade bloc in Melbourne on Friday decided to start the process to allow Uruguay to join. The Philippines, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates will be up for consideration next year, but no word was mentioned about Taiwan’s bid, the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan first applied to join on Sept. 22, 2021, and has since then adjusted its economic structure to prepare itself for membership. The government also called on legislators, think tanks, business associations, and media to tell the global community and the CPTPP member economies that Taiwan was ready and qualified to join.

The ministry emphasized the conclusion of trade or investment agreements with the US and with CPTPP members Singapore, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK. 

The failure of the CPTPP to set up a task force to review Taiwan’s bid gives the wrong signal to the world that it was caving in to political pressure, the ministry said. The absence of any move forward would not benefit the long-term development of the trade alliance, according to the ministry.