China, wary of isolation, asks Asia-Pacific countries to avoid ‘cliques’
- A high-level Chinese official spoke against the formation of ‘cliques’ among nations during Apec summit
- The comments, mentioned as progress on joining trade pacts continues, suggest the country remains concerned about being left out of the global economy
China’s international trade representative said the country is making progress toward joining a Pacific Rim digital economy deal while also taking care to mention it opposes any “small cliques” among nations – language that analysts say is aimed at avoiding the dangers of being cut off from global value chains.
Trade representative Wang Shouwen said that talks have led to “positive progress” for China’s membership in the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) when he attended a meeting with pact members at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco on Tuesday. Wang also serves as vice-minister of commerce.
China is “willing to work with members to step up technical consultations, jointly handle key items and respective concerns, and strive to explore practical cooperation in the field of digital economy,” Wang said, according to a statement by the ministry.
If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu
The three-year-old scheme works to solve digital trade and digitalisation issues. Current members are Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
China is also vying to join the 11-member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a high-level trade and investment treaty among players such as Japan, Australia and Singapore. But little progress has been made.
