Thread by @luchenhwa

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters Thursday that “China has a positive and open attitude toward joining the #CPTPP .”

The premier’s comment appears to be the first time that a Chinese leader has publicly confirmed China’s interest in joining in. caixinglobal.com/2020-05-29/pre…

Professor @mahbubani_k , founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told @caixin that he is “very encouraged” by Li’s “strong and powerful” signal about joining the #CPTPP, which would “make the region much more stable”.

“The US has decided to launch a geopolitical contest against China, unwisely. So the best way in which China can respond is not to close up its economy, but to open up its economy. Then China should strengthen its links with its neighbors and with the rest of the world,” he said.

@mahbubani_k also believed that China qualifies to join the trade block. “It would have been difficult for China to take part if another socialist country had not joined first,” he said, referring to #Vietnam, a CPTPP member and another socialist country.

“It’s important for China to talk to some of the key players, like Japan, like Vietnam, like Singapore, and to explore the possibilities of joining #CPTPP,” Mahbubani said.

Atsuyuki Oike, Japan’s former deputy TPP negotiator, told Caixin that “#CPTPP members welcome everybody who is willing to take on the high standard of market access commitments and the high standard rules ... that’s the statement that we all agreed (to) among the 11 countries.”

But #Oike, now the head of Japan’s delegation to UNESCO, doubted if China would agree to the “high standard” of rules in the CPTPP.

“We can always negotiate some exceptions. That’s no problem. But in terms of basic rules, we cannot change them,” he said.

Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University, said he questions whether #Vietnam could serve as a precedent for China. “Vietnam’s exports are limited to a few industries. Its government can liberalize those industries without hurting the overall domestic political situation.”

However, other than Li’s statement, Beijing has not announced any “feasibility research” into joining the #CPTPP. The government usually announces such official research at the start of the process of negotiating a new trade pact.