This past week, CTM covered the following issues. In China: * FTA signed with Ecuador, trade meetings with Central Asian countries * Restrictions on Australian timber eased * Drafts of standards for auto data * Tesla recall In the U.S.: * U.S.-Taiwan trade deal announced * U.S. Trade Rep. comments on China

Ahead of the China-Central Asian Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with leaders of the five Central Asian countries, renewing their ties and signing bilateral agreements on trade, investment, energy, and transportation.

USTR announced today that the United States and Taiwan "have concluded negotiations on the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade," and released the full text of an agreement.

At a press conference, China's Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, announced that China had eased restrictions on Australian timber imports, and also discussed China's CPTPP entry and concerns about Chinese surveillance.

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, who previously served as International Trade Secretary and Foreign Secretary, gave a speech yesterday at the Prospect Foundation in Taiwan, entitled "Taiwan: On the Frontline of Freedom and Democracy," in which she called for "an economic NATO" involving "coordination

Recently, the Chinese government issued several drafts of mandatory national standards for automobiles, including on cyber security and management systems, as well as on data recording systems. One of the drafts touches on vehicle designs and settings that would allow cross-border data transfer.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Parliament's Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship held a meeting that focused on Canadian investment funds and their investments in China.