CPTPP

South Korea rewrites the rules of economic security — with new alliances

Speaking with policymakers and analysts in Seoul, academic Guanie Lim assesses that concerns once treated as discrete — national security and economic resilience — are now being considered jointly in South Korea. A greater effort is also being made to engage new and smaller friends.

Guanie Lim

Taiwan’s quest for global economic integration despite CPTPP hurdles

Due to China’s political pressure, Taiwan’s prospect of joining the CPTPP remains dim. However, the island’s strength in fabricating semiconductor chips will allow it to stay connected closely with the CPTPP members and the rest of the world.

Min-Hua Chiang

Does China still need the CPTPP?

Academic Jianyong Yue notes that despite China's seeming eagerness to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), doing so may in fact hinder it from realising its full potential, given the strict regulations of the group. Perhaps it might be better for China to focus on developing its domestic market and turning into a strong consumption power capable of supporting its industrial upgrading and economic transformation.

Jianyong Yue

China's application to join CPTPP comes to the fore, after the UK's entry

​With the UK's addition to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the question of the next applicant, China, joining comes front and centre. Other applicants like Taiwan, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Uruguay are also keen to be part of a grouping that could become the largest free trade area in the world. Academic Min-Hua Chiang outlines the stakes involved.

Min-Hua Chiang

Q&A: Malaysia's new trade minister explains why China matters to Southeast Asia

Caixin sat down for an exclusive interview with Malaysia's new Minister of International Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in January. He spoke about Malaysia's and ASEAN's relations with China, and his thoughts on regional and global trade.

Caixin Global

Australia far more wary of China than SEA nations despite thawing relations

Susannah Patton, director of the Southeast Asia Program at Lowy Institute, reflects on the thaw in Australia-China relations, surmising that the resumption of dialogue may mean Australia is no longer a regional outlier. But unchanging imperatives may see Australia's continued investment in capabilities for the regional deterrence of China, which may worry some in Southeast Asia.

Susannah Patton

Biden has good strategies, but can he implement them?

Chinese academic Zhang Jingwei notes that while US President Joe Biden has cast a wider net in building alliances compared with his predecessors, much of these frameworks are lacking in substance. Will the US be able to benefit from them and use them against its strategic rival China?

Zhang Jingwei

Chinese membership in the CPTPP: Greater benefits than downside risks

A study has shown that if China joins the CPTPP, global income gains from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will quadruple to US$632 billion annually. With an eye to the economic benefits, a majority of Southeast Asians view China's membership of the CPTPP positively, the 2022 State of Southeast Asia survey report finds. ISEAS researcher Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy further notes that Chinese membership of the CPTPP will help to ease China-US trade tensions. However, there are concerns about China's ability to abide by the rules of the CPTPP.

Sithanonxay Suvannaphakdy

Chan Chun Sing: Singapore amid great power rivalry

Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing gave the speech titled "Singapore amid Great Power Rivalry" at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Lecture on 9 November 2021. He said countries around the world possess some agency even amid great power competition, and Singapore can work together with like-minded partners to help build a better world. And while the US and China might feel their differences sharply, there could be more common interests between them than they would probably want to acknowledge, as both countries share a single global system and biosphere with the rest of the world. Here is the full transcript of his speech.

Chan Chun Sing

Could China-US trade relations be thawing?

High-level trade and foreign policy officials from the US and China have articulated their views recently on implementing the phase one trade deal and hopes for cooperation amid a state of strategic competition. Will more of such sessions help to chip away at the great wall of mistrust that has been built between the US and China?

Kong Tuan Yuen

Japanese academic: US moving away from ASEAN centrality to defend its regional interests

With AUKUS and the Quad, Japanese academic Sahashi Ryo argues that the US is seeking to distance itself from the region's ASEAN-centric mechanisms, despite assurances to the contrary. While both the US and China are working hard to make their presence felt in the region, Ryo says someone is acting out of undue haste and probably needs more time to figure out how to create its desired world order under mounting competition.

Sahashi Ryo

CPTPP: How China's membership could be a win-win

The combined output of members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is about US$13.5 trillion or 14% of global GDP, and will be even larger if China joins. From the economic perspective, there is much for all members to gain with China's entry, but they would also be wary of certain aspects such as threats to their domestic industries and issues concerning intellectual property standards and regulatory non-tariff barriers. Cai Daolu looks at the reception China will be expecting to get to its CPTPP bid.

Cai Daolu