On April 24, 2025, WSCRC, in partnership with the National Committee on U.S. China Relations, the World Affairs Council Seattle and the University of Washington’s East Asia Center and China Studies Program, hosted a two-part program examining the Trump administration’s China policy 100 days in.
The first part featured a national webcast hosted by the National Committee on U.S. China relations, with speakers Ryan Hass, Director of John L. Thorton China Center at the Brookings Institution, Matthew Turpin, Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.
Following the national webcast, a local panel discussion brought together Spencer Cohen, Principal and Founder of High Peak Strategy; John VerWey, advisor in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Global Security, Technology and Policy group; and Dori Jones Yang (moderator), award-winning author, journalist, and speaker.
The panel provided in-depth discussion on key U.S.-China policy developments and their implications for Washington state, highlighting both shifts from the prior administration and areas of continuity. Cohen discussed the potential lasting impacts might the current trade war have on U.S.-China relations and global supply chain, particularly for Washington state businesses, ports, and higher education. VerWey examined the intersection of technology and national security, with a focus on technology protection efforts such as export controls, investment screening, research security, and supply chain security. The discussion concluded with consideration of alternative and more effective strategies for addressing many of the issues in the current U.S.-China economic relationship.