Season’s Greetings and Warm Wishes from

the Washington State China Relations Council & the Washington State China Relations Fund
&
2021 Year in Review

We’d also like to present you this year in review which summarizes many of our 2021 activities. We are grateful to all of you who joined with us this year in our webinars and various events and we look forward to your continued support in 2022.

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

On February 2, the Council held its annual gala, virtually, for over 200 participants. The highlight of the evening was a conversation between former Ambassador to China Gary Locke and the former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd. These two experts expressed their ideas about how the U.S. and China can cooperate as well as compete in the future. Also speaking at the event was Congressman Rick Larsen (D WA 02), who shared his ideas about steps the U.S. must take to compete and what the U.S. must do to manage its increasingly fraught relationship with China.

Keeping with a Gala tradition, the Council awarded its 2021 Sidney Rittenberg Award for leadership in the advancement of Washington-China relations to former Council Chairman and long-time board member Gregg Rodgers.

       
Cruising the South China Sea –                         Asymmetric Competition: A Strategy for
Stormy Weather Ahead?                                      China & Technology: A Conversation with Gary Rieschel
Watch the webinar recording here                              Read the full report here

       
The Importance of International Students    Analyzing Chinese Investment in
in Post-Secondary Education System               the Real Estate Sector
Watch the webinar recording here                                Watch the webinar recording here

           
Current Challenges and Opportunities for      Coffee Chat with the Economic Alliance Snohomish County:
U.S. Companies in China: A Report by the       Rebuilding Relationships with China
Leaders of the AmCham Shanghai                      Watch the webinar recording here. 

                    
Book Talk                                     Book Talk  “Challenging China”   Dragon Boat Festival Networking Event
“Rumors from Shanghai”      Watch the webinar recording here         

           
A conversation with Representative                  Analyzing China’s Strategic Ambitions
Rick Larsen on U.S.-China Relations                 Watch the webinar recording here
Watch the webinar recording here

Anti-Asian Violence and Hate Crimes Series
       
Watch the first webinar (community voices) recording
Watch the second webinar (government perspectives) recording here

         
Deciphering Xi Jinping’s Vision and                  Book Talk “The World Turned Upside Down”
What It Means for the Tech Sector                       
Watch the webinar recording here

         
U.S.-China Relations: Trends and                A conversation with Congresswoman Suzan
Implications for U.S. Business                       DelBene on U.S.-China Relations

         
The Impact of the Evergrande Crisis             China Town Hall 2021
on China’s Economy                                             Watch the webinar recording here

       
Book Talk | Middle Class Shanghai:                 Unpacking Global Supply Chain Disruptions
Reshaping U.S.-China Engagement                  Watch the webinar recording here
Watch the webinar recording here   

The New China Business Landscape for American Companies

This virtual conference was co-hosted by the WSCRC and AmCham Shanghai. Ambassador Stapleton Roy provided a very insightful keynote speech. He stated that even though there are many “dark clouds” on the horizon for U.S.-China relations, the notion of a “new cold war” is misleading and inappropriate. He listed three key factors hampering the U.S’s China policy, including no defined U.S. economic strategy for Asia, Taiwan, and a hostility in the U.S. against globalization.

Representative Rick Larsen (D WA 02) made recorded remarks, stating the importance of a healthy relationship for Washington State and the U.S. with China, and what the Congress should do to improve the relationship.

Three panels comprised of leaders of the U.S. business community in China and leading China experts discussed three key issues of the U.S.-China relationship, including the current state and the future of U.S.-China relations, the business environment for U.S. companies in China, and what are the implications of a “de-coupled” tech landscape.

WSCRC Government Affairs Committee Projects

WSCRC and Select Washington Trade Associations Outline Ideas for China Policies

The Washington State China Relations Council and its partners recently prepared a document for federal, state and local officials, outlining policies that these organizations endorse with the intent to improve the competitiveness of Washington businesses in their dealings with China. The WSCRC would like to thank our partner organizations, CleanTech Alliance, the Northwest Horticultural Council, Visit Seattle, and the Washington Technology Industry Association, for providing their valuable inputs. Full report can be viewed here.

WSCRC Produces its First China Quarterly Report

The intent of this communique is to provide timely and important information about U.S.-China relations, key developments of interest and relevance in China, and an update on the progress of local entities in their interactions with China. The Council – drawing upon its 42-year history, knowledge, and resources – is well positioned to track, analyze, and report on the Pacific Northwest’s important economic, cultural, and educational relationship with China. We hope this report, coupled with other works of the Council, provide key resources for industry leaders, government officials and their staff. Read the full report here. 

WSCRC in the Media & Member Highlights

On April 16, the WSCRC published an Op-ed in the Seattle Times to recommend five core themes in terms of engaging and competing with China to boost Washington’s economic recovery.

On January 15, the WSCRC member Spencer Cohen co-penned an editorial in the South China Morning Post. Titled New alliances, not tariffs, are key to US trade strategy on China, the op-ed calls for the U.S. to take a multi-lateral approach to solving trade problems with China.

The U.S. China Business Council (USCBC), in coordination with the WSCRC, has interviewed a number of WSCRC member companies to understand the importance of the China market to these firms, as part of its “50 States, 50 Stories” initiative. Four WSCRC members were interviewed and featured in the series.

• Brown and Haley – “In Pursuit of a Billion Sweet Tooths“.  Tacoma-based Brown and Haley is the legendary candy maker who created “Almond Roca”. In the article, the company’s CEO John Melin explains how they developed their business in China, how the company has adapted its product line to meet the needs of Chinese consumers. and how they have responded to impacts from the trade war and the pandemic.

• Greater Pacific Industries – “Serial Entrepreneur Says Nobody Wins a Trade War“. In the interview, Ben Zhang, Founder and CEO of the company shared his success stories and the challenges they are facing due to the decline of U.S.-China relationship.

• GX Architecture & Design – “Adding an American Touch to China’s Tech Headquarters“. Bob Ormond, Senior Vice President and COO of the company advised the readers to take the long(er) view when working with the Chinese based on his and his company’s experience working throughout Asia. Mr. Ormond also praised the role of state level U.S.-China trade groups like the WSCRC which helps companies like his with business transactions and policy and strategy advice.

• Two Rivers Manufacturing – “Washington Entrepreneur Returns to China to Craft Motorcycle Helmets“. Jeanne DeMund, co-owner of this motorcycle accessories manufacturing and distribution company, shared her 25-year run of success and creation of hundreds of jobs in the U.S. and China. She emphasized the importance of people-to-people ties between both countries during this turbulent time of U.S.-China relations.

Support Our Work

Despite the continued challenges from Covid-19 and a U.S.-China relationship under stress, the WSCRC has been working hard to serve its members and partners by providing high quality programs and support local community efforts. In the first half of 2021, in addition to nearly 20 webinars, we hosted our first ever virtual annual gala (with more than 200 participants)! Working with partner organizations, we also produced a report for federal, state and local officials, outlining policies that these organizations endorse with the intent to improve the competitiveness of Washington businesses in their dealings with China. In response to the rise of hate crimes against people of Asian and Pacific ethnicity and to show our support in the fight against anti-Asian racism, the WSCRF and the WSCRC hosted a series of two webinars to explore this topic from different perspectives.

This report provides a summary of our work carried out in the first half of 2021, along with membership and leadership updates.

Click here to read the full report.

This year presented the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) with distinct challenges.  Covid-19 and probably the darkest period in the U.S.-China relationship since the opening of diplomatic relations in 1979 meant that we could not continue business as usual. With the onset of the pandemic, we had to pivot quickly to adapt to the new environment and to find ways to continue to honor our 41-year legacy and carry out our mission. Pandemic induced changes did however, provided us opportunities to work closely with many of our members and to forge new partnerships as we adapted to the world of Zoom. Although we were unable to meet with delegations from China or travel to China, we strived to maintain relationships on both sides of the Pacific.

In 2020, we hosted and partnered in 40 programs–webinars, and delegations–among which all the programs held since mid-March (35) 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, as well as best practices and lessons learned from fighting Covid-19 from both China and our members. We also established a sister organization, the Washington State China Relations Fund (WSCRF), to support the Council’s educational and cultural programs, and to provide support to the local Chinese community and local governments.

This year in review provides a summary of our work carried out in  2020, along with membership and leadership updates.

Click here to read the full report.

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.