TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The first round of talks under the United States-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade will take place Nov. 8-9 in New York City, reports said Thursday (Nov. 3).

Measures to simplify trade and issues related to small and medium enterprises would be on the agenda, while the Taiwan side would be led by Deputy Trade Negotiator Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), CNA reported. Meanwhile, the U.S. trade representative will appoint the head of its delegation.

Envoys from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, National Development Council, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the representative office in Washington, D.C., will all be present at next week’s talks.

The initiative was launched last June and was seen as an alternative to the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), which did not invite Taiwan to join. A total of 11 topics were covered by the trade initiative, including the drawing up of legislation and regulations, agriculture, the fight against corruption, digital trade, labor, and the environment.

The aim of the trade initiative is to reach an agreement before next year’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, to be hosted by the U.S. in Nov. 2023.