Taiwan will continue its efforts to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPPA), despite several unsuccessful bids, Huang Chih- peng, director-general of the Bureau of Foreign Trade, said Friday. The TPPA, previously known as P4, is a grouping of New Zealand, Chile, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. It is expected to become P8 as the United States, Australia, Peru and Vietnam have expressed interest in joining. Huang said Taiwan will seek to join the TPPA after the other four countries have been admitted. Over the past few years, Taiwan has been trying without success to become part of the TPPA, Huang noted. However, with Taiwan in talks with China on the signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) , some of the sensitive issues between the two sides will be set aside, which will improve Taiwan's chances of gaining admission to the TPPA, Huang said. He reiterated that once the P4 becomes P8, it is very likely that Taiwan would begin negotiations to join the group. 