At a European Parliament Committee on International Trade meeting last week, political and business leaders continued to struggle with finding a way forward on formalizing trade and investment relations between the EU and Taiwan.

Beijing announced today that it will resume imports of sugar apples from Taiwan. This is a mini-step toward the thawing of economic relations across the strait, although trade frictions over agricultural goods are broader and will require more time and effort to resolve.

Some Taiwanese politicians and groups also voiced their criticism of the deal for different reasons.

Veteran U.S. trade and procurement lawyer Jean Heilman Grier has reported that there has been a resolution to the disagreement over the appointment of a government official from Taiwan as the Chair of the WTO's Committee of Government Procurement.

MOFCOM spokesperson expressed "firm opposition" against both.

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.