Trade representatives from the United States and Taiwan are speaking as early as Thursday, as the two governments are set to restart negotiations on a trade agreement.

Citing people familiar with the discussion, the Wall Street Journal reported that Katherine Tai, the U.S. trade representative, is set to speak to her Taiwanese counterpart, John Deng, this week, restarting talks on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which were suspended during the Trump administration.

Speaking at a House committee on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration is “engaged in conversations with Taiwan, or soon will be — on some kind of framework agreement.”

The two governments have held 10 meetings on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement since 1994. The last talks were held in October 2016.

“They are as much about the symbolism of the U.S.-Taiwan cooperation in the face of opposition from Beijing as they are about economic issues,” the article wrote. The negotiations were suspended as the Trump administration’s trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, considered Taiwan a mercantilist country for blocking U.S. imports, including pork and beef. Lighthizer also prioritized negotiations of the phase one trade agreement with Beijing.

Pro-Taiwan Congress members are urging the Biden administration to sign a bilateral trade agreement with Taipei, but a senior official said the administration has not reached a decision. “If we resume dialogue, it would first be about catching up,” the senior administration official told the Journal. “Our economic relationship with Taiwan continues to deepen.”

A spokesperson for Taiwan’s representative in the U.S. and a spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative both did not comment.

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