Spokesperson voices opposition to Taiwan joining official free trade initiatives

BEIJING - Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Wednesday opposed the Taiwan region joining any free trade initiatives or signing any free trade agreements of official nature.

Zhu made the statement in response to a query about the application of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

"There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," Zhu said, adding that the precondition for Taiwan's participation in any regional economic cooperation is the one-China principle.

In exchange for joining the CPTPP, Taiwan may lift its import restrictions on foods from Japan's Fukushima despite the objections of its people, according to media reports.

Noting that the DPP authority has been continuously betraying the welfare of the people of Taiwan in seeking its own selfish political gains, Zhu said it will further lose the support of the people.