The signing of the U.S.-China Phase One Trade Agreement in early January provided some hope for an improvement in this critical bilateral relationship. However, the outbreak of the coronavirus in China and its rapid spread across the globe soon after, has been a devastating blow to the world economy. The ongoing upheaval and turmoil has further eroded U.S.-China relations.
Now more than ever, the mission of the Washington State China Relations Council is of critical importance. Washington state has long played an outsized role as a bridge between the U.S. and China. Our state has long enjoyed and thrived from a rich diversity of cultural, political, and commercial ties with China. The erosion of the country-to-country relationship, accentuated by the ongoing trade war and distrust over Covid-19, has thus disproportionately impacted our state. It is imperative for the WSCRC to honor our legacy and work closely with our members and partners to face these challenges and create opportunities for a stronger and mutually beneficial relationship, and to provide a platform for objective information and dialogue.
In the first half of 2020, we hosted and partnehttps://mailchi.mp/wscrc/wscrc-midyear-update-2020red in 24 programs, webinars, and delegations, among which 17 programs held since March were virtual due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. These high impact programs helped our community gain new insight into key U.S.-China-related issues, and best practices and lessons learned from fighting Covid-19. We also established a sister organization, the Washington State China Relations Fund (WSCRF), to support the Council’s educational and cultural programs, and to ensure the long-term viability of the Council. This mid-year report provides a summary of the work carried out the first half of 2020, along with membership updates.
Click here to read the full report.