The workplace bullying case at the Office of Trade Negotiations under the Executive Yuan has drawn to a close. The incident also highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive review of Taiwan’s trade negotiation system. The office bears the critical responsibility of advancing Taiwan’s international trade negotiations, which demand years of accumulated experience. A stable and professional negotiating team is a vital asset for Taiwan in global trade competition. Retaining and developing negotiation talent has therefore become a pressing priority.
The negotiating team needs to regroup. Taiwan must also rethink its overall strategy for joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The CPTPP is a high-standard trade agreement. Membership is no longer merely a trade issue. It also affects Taiwan’s regional economic integration, supply chain resilience, and international competitiveness. Taiwan’s strategy must therefore evolve with the times.
First, Taiwan should reposition its accession strategy. The government previously focused on meeting the agreement’s high standards to demonstrate Taiwan’s eligibility. However, compliance is only the minimum threshold for the CPTPP, which operates by consensus. What ultimately determines whether members support Taiwan is its ability to create greater value for the agreement. Taiwan must therefore shift its strategy from “proving eligibility” to “creating shared benefits.” Members should support Taiwan not only because it complies with the rules, but also because its accession would enhance the agreement’s overall benefits.
Second, Taiwan should rebuild the case for its CPTPP membership by highlighting its strengths in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and supply chain resilience. Members must understand that Taiwan’s accession would do more than add another member. It would strengthen regional supply chain security, deepen technological cooperation, and enhance overall competitiveness.
Taiwan should also realign its international outreach and establish a long-term mechanism spanning multiple years and government agencies. Starting this year, Viet Nam, Peru, Malaysia, Chile, Brunei, and the United Kingdom will successively chair the CPTPP. Although the chair cannot decide whether to admit a new member, it plays an influential role in setting the agenda, coordinating members’ positions, and advancing discussions on member additions. Taiwan should engage future chairs early and gradually build shared interests through deeper cooperation in investment, supply chains, technology, and the digital economy. Its outreach must not be limited to the chairs. Every CPTPP member holds influence because accession decisions require consensus. Taiwan should therefore strengthen official diplomacy, parliamentary diplomacy, think tank exchanges, and business cooperation in parallel. This would create a multilayered network of support for its accession.
Finally, Taiwan must rethink its broader approach. In the past, Taiwan linked its CPTPP bid to opposition to mainland China’s accession. Mainland China, in turn, has continued to obstruct Taiwan’s bid. Yet CPTPP members care most about whether a new member can advance the agreement’s overall interests, not political confrontation. Taiwan should focus on demonstrating its irreplaceable value and winning support through tangible contributions. It should avoid excessive politicization of its accession bid.
Trade negotiations are a long-term undertaking and cannot succeed overnight. Taiwan must take a longer-term view, continue deepening cooperation with CPTPP members, and steadily build shared interests. It must shift from “waiting for opportunities” to “creating opportunities” and persuade members that supporting Taiwan serves their own interests. International trade competition is not merely a contest over institutions and rules. It is also a contest over talent, organizational capabilities, and strategy. Taiwan can take the initiative in the evolving global trade landscape only by building a stable negotiating team and adopting a more forward-looking accession strategy.
“Regrouping” means more than rebuilding the negotiating team. It also means reshaping Taiwan’s thinking and strategy for pursuing CPTPP membership. The key is not merely to secure members’ support, but to keep creating compelling reasons for the members to support Taiwan. Taiwan must not simply wait for opportunities. It must actively create them. Taiwan can improve its prospects for CPTPP membership only by convincing members that its accession would enhance the agreement’s overall competitiveness, strengthen supply chain resilience, and create greater shared benefits for all members.
Source: Economic Daily News (July 27, 2026). Regrouping for a Renewed CPTPP Bid. Economic Daily News. https://udn.com/news/story/7340/9649715