ExclusiveChina-Australia relations: Canberra ‘will not oppose’ Beijing’s CPTPP trade-pact bid

China has been trying to gain entry into the Asia-Pacific trade pact for two years, and Australia says it will ‘consider China’s application on its merits’ as bilateral ties warm

Both countries have made concessions on trade and investment, but source says relations will never ‘return to the status quo’

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is keen on mending frayed trade ties with China when he visits next month. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:30am, 26 Oct 2023Updated: 6:51pm, 26 Oct 2023

With relations between China and Australia improving in the lead-up to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s long-anticipated visit next week, sources said Canberra will not stand in the way of Beijing joining one of the world’s biggest multilateral trade deals.

Australia “will not oppose China joining the CPTPP” – the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership – and will “consider China’s application on its merits”, one source said, emphasising that this is not a vow to advocate for China.

It would mark a step closer for China to join the trade bloc, which also includes Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Japan, though, is seen as a major obstacle, as any application to join the trade bloc must be approved by all members.

“[And Australia] will not advocate for Taiwan’s CPTPP membership, despite Japanese pressure to do so,” the source added.

Taiwan applied to join the 11-member trade bloc on September 22, 2021, six days after Beijing, and amid concerns that the island could be blocked from the deal.

Taiwan’s determination to enter the deal increased when, because of Beijing’s opposition, it was left out of the 15-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – the world’s largest free-trade bloc.

Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary – and has steadily ramped up military pressure on the self-ruled island while opposing official meetings between Taipei and countries that recognise China.