The Middle Kingdom would need existing CPTPP members like Australia to reach a consensus for allowing it the join.
China has applied to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact that currently has 11 members including Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, the country’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday. The trade pact, called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), currently has 11 members that represent about $13.5 trillion in GDP, or 13.4% of global GDP, making it one of the largest trade pacts in the world. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted the application to New Zealand’s Trade Minister Damien O’Connor in a written letter on Thursday, the department said in an online statement. The two officials have also had phone communications about the member application, it added. New Zealand acts as the depositary for the CPTPP, the government that handles various administrative tasks for the pact, such as requests to join.
