On October 15, 2026, the Washington State China Relations Council will host its 2nd Annual U.S.-China Symposium. The half-day event will bring together leading regional and national voices to examine the evolving U.S.-China relationship from the Washington state perspective.

This year, we will explore the current status and future trajectory of U.S. China relations, the growing intersection of trade, technology and security, and the role of subnational engagement and soft power. Participants will gain insights into the challenges and opportunities ahead and engage in thoughtful discussion on one of the world’s most consequential relationships.  

Whether you work in international business, policymaking, education, or community engagement, this conference will provide a unique opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and connect with others interested in the future of U.S.-China relations.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

• Spencer Cohen, Founder & Principal, High Peak Strategies 
• Kristi Heim, Founder & CEO, Lumenation
• James McGregor, Chairman of Greater China Region, APCO Worldwide
• Paige Miller, Vice President of Fundraising, Seattle Chinese Garden; President and CEO, Oleander Medical Technologies
• Sean Stein, President, US-China Business Council (Keynote Speaker)
• David Tang, Partner, K&L Gates
• Ann Scott Tyson, Beijing Bureau Chief, the Christian Science Monitor
• Lawrence Ward, Partner and Chair of National Security Law Group, Dorsey & Whitney

Early bird special price is available now! 

Sponsorship Opportunities: Email manw@wscrc.org to learn more.

Interested in discounted access? Ask about WSCRC membership opportunities.

Media: Members of the press must email info@wscrc.org for registration inquiries. 

Stay tuned for more program and speaker updates!

Register Here

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr. Spencer Cohen is the Principal and Founder of High Peak Strategy LLC, an international trade and economics research consulting firm based in Seattle, WA, specializing in port operations, regional economic analysis, international trade research, and U.S.-China relations. With over 15 years’ consulting experience, he works with a diverse range of clients, including ports, international trade associations, corporations, and economic development organizations, and local governments across the U.S. and abroad, including in Washington, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and the Asian Development Bank.

Dr. Cohen is a frequent public speaker on issues relating to U.S.-China relations, international trade, China’s economy, and regional economic recovery. Spencer has written opinion pieces in the South China Morning Post, The Daily Guardian (India), Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Business Magazine. Prior to forming High Peak Strategy, Spencer served as senior economist with a Seattle-based economics consulting firm. He has also held policy and research roles with the Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington State Economic Commission.

Spencer is a 2021-2023 Public Intellectuals Program fellow (seventh cohort) with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is also an affiliate professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Washington. Dr. Cohen has a PhD in geography from the University of Washington, an MA in China Studies, also from the University of Washington, and BA in mathematics and history from the University of Connecticut.

Kristi Heim is an experienced communications leader in life sciences, international business, and global health. A former journalist, she is currently Founder and CEO of Lumenation, a marketing and communications firm. She was previously Senior Director of Communications for Element Biosciences, a multi-disciplinary life science company. She has more than 20 years’ experience in media, public relations and international affairs, managing communications strategy and business partnerships.

Her experience includes directing corporate communications for global biopharma and genomics companies. She also spent many years working in Asia and served as executive director and president of the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC), from 2013 to 2016. As an award-winning journalist, she wrote about business and technology for publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Seattle Times, and the San Jose Mercury News.

James McGregor is chairman of APCO’s greater China region and author of two highly regarded books: “No Ancient Wisdom, No Followers: The Challenges of Chinese Authoritarian Capitalism” and “One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China.” He also wrote the noted APCO monograph China’s Drive for Indigenous Innovation—A Web of Industrial Policies.

Prior to joining APCO, Jim was the founder and CEO of a China-focused consulting and research firm for hedge funds, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and chief executive of Dow Jones & Company in China. Jim is also a former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and has long served as a leader of AmCham’s U.S. government relations function.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the International Council of Asia Society, the advisory board of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub and a board member of the U.S.-China Education Trust.

Jim is a professional speaker, regular television and radio commentator and a contributor of essays and opinion articles for a variety of publications. He lived in China for three decades and now based in the U.S. He splits his time between Minnesota, Washington D.C., the Bay Area, Shanghai, Beijing and elsewhere.

Paige Miller is Vice President of Fundraising for the Seattle Chinese Garden Society, where she helps advance the Garden’s mission of fostering cultural understanding and strengthening ties between Seattle and China through education, history, and the arts. She has served on the Society’s Board of Directors since 2017.

Professionally, Paige is the President and CEO of Oleander Medical Technologies. She previously served as a Commissioner of the Port of Seattle and spent more than three decades with the Port, holding senior leadership roles in trade development, public affairs, and government relations. Throughout her career, she has helped strengthen the region’s international trade and economic competitiveness while serving on the boards of numerous organizations dedicated to trade, workforce development, and public policy, including Port Jobs, the Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, and the Washington Public Ports Association. She is a graduate of Yale Law School.

Sean Stein is the president of the US-China Business Council. He most recently served as the board chair of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and is the chair emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. He also co-chaired the China Public Policy Practice at Covington and Burling where he advised international businesses on political risk, public affairs, communications, and US and China government relations. He regularly assisted companies to resolve acute or long-term issues in China and to navigate challenges caused by conflicting US and Chinese policies and perceptions.

Sean previously served for nearly three decades as a US diplomat, including as Consul General in Shenyang and Shanghai. He also served on the China desk at the State Department, at the former consulate general in Chengdu, and in other positions around the Indo-Pacific. Sean speaks Mandarin and Indonesian and is a graduate of Georgetown University.

David Tang is a Partner at K&L Gates and his law practice concentrates in the areas of foreign investment, cross-border financings, mergers and acquisitions, and investments related to real estate. He has more than 40 years of transactional experience in the Greater China market. Mr. Tang was managing partner of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP from 1995–1999, a predecessor law firm to the formation of K&L Gates LLP. He is recognized in Best Lawyers and China Business Law Journal, among other directories.

Among his activities, David served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2002–2008 and as its chair from 2006–2008. He serves as the Trustee of the Blakemore Foundation, is a board member of the Washington State China Relations Council, a member of the Advisory Council of Asia Society Northern California and Seattle, and of the World Justice Project Leadership Council. He currently chairs the American Bar Association Task force on Trade in International Legal Services. Mr. Tang holds an AB (magna) from Harvard University; a JD from Columbia University; and a Certificate from The Hague Academy of International Law.

Ann Scott Tyson is the Christian Science Monitor’s Beijing Bureau Chief, covering China and Northeast Asia. Ann is an award-winning journalist and author whose career includes a decade covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and eight years as a foreign correspondent in China and Asia. Her U.S. beats have included the Pentagon, Congress, and the Midwest. In addition to the Monitor, she has reported for The Washington Post and contributed to The Wall Street Journal. 

Ann is the author of a bestselling Afghanistan war memoir, “American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant.” She also co-wrote “Chinese Awakenings: Life Stories from the Unofficial China.”

Ann graduated from Harvard College with an honors degree in government and East Asian studies and earned an honors certificate from the Institute of Political Studies in Paris (Sciences Po). She was awarded the Bagehot Fellowship for graduate studies in economics and business at Columbia University and the Rotary Graduate Fellowship at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She speaks Chinese and French.

Lawrence (Larry) Ward is a Partner and the Chair of Dorsey & Whitney LLP’s National Security Law Group and and former head of the firm’s Seattle office. Clients ranging from small emerging companies or family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 public corporations and international professional associations trust Larry to advise them on ever-evolving national security law and international trade matters. Larry has worked across countless industry sectors and has developed particular expertise in aerospace and defense, mining, technology (including AI/ML), biotech, financial services, higher education, and manufacturing. As a former appointed member of the U.S. State Department’s Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG), Larry has built important connections with U.S. Government and industry leaders, which further bolsters his ability to provide practical compliance insight to his clients.

Larry advises clients on compliance matters related to U.S. export controls and national security law. His work includes representing clients before federal agencies on foreign investment reviews (CFIUS), national industrial security compliance (DCSA), export control regulations (EAR and ITAR), economic sanctions (OFAC), energy and nuclear export matters (DOE and NRC), and enforcement of anti-corruption laws such as the FCPA (DOJ and SEC).

Larry helps clients build and refine compliance programs, train employees, classify products for export purposes, apply for export licenses and classification requests from the U.S. Government and structure internal safeguards for dealing with classified federal government information. Larry also helps clients in building international relationships with various third parties by drafting and negotiating various commercial contracts. Before those relationships are even built, he helps clients craft due diligence programs and assists with vetting of potential foreign partners to ensure that the risks of violations of export control and international business ethics are low. He also helps foreign buyers and U.S. targets navigate important regulatory issues associated with foreign investment in the United States when U.S. national security is implicated through the transaction.

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