(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he’ll speak with his Chinese counterpart to prepare for a high-stakes meeting between the two countries’ presidents later this month that may revive trade talks.

Lighthizer, testifying to the House Ways and Means committee on Wednesday, said he plans to speak by phone with Vice Premier Liu He this week. He and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will then meet in person with Liu before President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping sit down together during the Group of 20 summit in Japan on June 28-29.

Lighthizer said it’s still unclear if official trade talks will resume.

“When actual negotiations begin again I can’t say at this point. But we’re talking, we’re going to meet,” Lighthizer told lawmakers in Washington. “If we can resolve these issues in a way that improves this relationship, preserves the competitive advantage of the United States, we have an obligation to do that.”

Lighthizer said the U.S. wants to make a trade deal as much as China does, and that “we are ready to engage.” But he said the Trump administration sees the trading relationship as unbalanced, and wants to make sure that’s addressed.

Trump announced Tuesday that he had a “very good” phone conversation with Xi, and that the two leaders will hold an “extended meeting” at the G-20. The U.S. president had repeatedly threatened more tariffs if Xi spurned the opportunity to talk.

The last time Trump and Xi met face-to-face, at the G-20 in Argentina in December, they agreed to a temporary tariff ceasefire. In the following months, the two sides repeatedly said they were making progress toward a deal, but negotiations broke down last month when the U.S. accused China of reneging on promises it made in a draft agreement.

Trump then followed through on a threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, and said more are on the way.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross over the weekend downplayed the prospect of a major deal in the near term. “I think the most that will come out of the G-20 might be an agreement to actively resume talks,” possibly with new ground rules and a schedule, Ross he told the Wall Street Journal.

--With assistance from Shawn Donnan.

To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net;Ryan Haar in New York at rhaar3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, Ben Holland

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