Taiwan has formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Sept. 20, following China’s bid last week. Taiwan submitted its application to New Zealand, who handles the paperwork for the trade bloc, but warned that if China’s application were approved, it would struggle to join the CPTPP. Taiwan has been excluded from numerous international bodies because of pressure from Beijing for nations to abide by the One China policy—which sees the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims rulership over Taiwan. The CPTPP is a trade bloc comprised of 11 nations covering 13.4 percent of global GDP. Prospective members (including the United Kingdom, Thailand, and China) can gain entry only with unanimous support from all pact members, which currently includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. On the weekend, Australian and Japanese trade ministers expressed reluctance at the possibility …