WSCRC

Washington State China Relations Council

Washington State China Relations Council holds Annual Gala for over 200 Virtual Participants

The Washington State China Relations Council, the oldest state level organization devoted to improving ties with China, held its annual gala, virtually, on February 2nd.  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. The robust discussion was followed by an audience question and answer session.

The Council was pleased to welcome Congressman Rick Larsen, (D WA 02) who addressed the more than 200 people at the virtual event. Representative Larsen shared his ideas about steps the U.S. must take to what the United States must do to manage its increasingly fraught relationship with China.

After the Council’s Executive Director Nor Coquillard reviewed the organization’s 2020 activities and 2021 plans, the Director of the Council Man Wang introduced the audience to the Council’s sister, charitable organization the Washington State China Relations Fund.  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 and long-time board member Gregg Rodgers.

Puget Sound Business Journal Honors Two WSCRC Board Members

The Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ), the region’s premier business news publication, has recently honored two of WSCRC’s Board Members.

WSCRC’s Board Chairman, Marc Berger, was recently honored as one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40. Started 22 years ago, this program identifies people under the age of 40 who are dynamic leaders in the business community.

In addition to his role as the Chairman of the Washington State China Relations Council, Marc is a Vice President and Partner at Nyhus Communications. Marc oversees approximately 50% of the company’s overall revenue and works on strategic development. Prior to his move to Seattle in 2013, Marc worked for the National Committee on U.S-China Relations.

The PSBJ revealed this week that WSCRC Board Member Dean Jones of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty was named to its list of the 100 most powerful, influential businesspeople in Washington in 2020.

Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty is a Seattle‐based real estate consultancy and brokerage specializing in market research, product development, marketing and sales solutions for new construction, multi‐family, and resale properties of all categories. As CEO, Dean Jones leads the Pacific Northwest’s largest affiliate within the global real estate network.

We congratulate both of our board members on their awards.

Washington State China Relations Fund Announces Fundraising Campaign

(SEATTLE – October 1, 2020) The Washington State China Relations Fund, the charitable arm of the Washington State China Relations Council, has announced its goal of raising $500,000 to support educational programs that promote stronger business, educational and cultural ties between Washington State and China, and within the local Chinese community.

Throughout its 41-year history, the Council has pursued its mission of building and strengthening connections between Washington state and China, offering a crucial platform and voice for a nuanced and informed  perspective on how to manage and improve bilateral relations, as well as building bridges for businesses and government agencies on both sides of the Pacific.

With the current tensions in the U.S.-China Relationship, the Council’s critical role is more pronounced than ever. The Council promotes an open and balanced dialogue regarding our relationship with China and works to maintain and strengthen ties with our counterparts in China at the sub-national level. Trade with China represents a large component of Washington’s economy and, barring a massive decoupling of the U.S. and Chinese economies, the importance of China to the state will only increase over time.

The Fund was created to ensure the viability of the programming formerly performed by the Council, and to facilitate a greater involvement in local China-focused efforts. The Fund produces webinars and programs that investigate issues that dominate, affect and are affected by the U.S.-China relationship.  The fund also performs charitable activities with a special focus on the Chinese community in Washington state. Recently, the Fund has helped raise funds to support businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19, and has also imported personal protection equipment that was donated to the City of Seattle and the State of Washington to combat the virus.

Despite the importance of China to businesses and organizations in Washington state, the Council is experiencing financial challenges that threaten its long-term sustainability. Many local companies who had hoped to capitalize on Chinese investment in the state have scaled back their support. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted our members’ ability to support the organization. Therefore, the Council is initiating a campaign to raise $500,000 over the next 24 months. We depend on the support from American citizens, corporations and other organizations to ensure we are able to continue advancing our mission and serving a critical role in the community.

We thank you for your consideration of making a tax-deductible donation to the Washington State China Relations Fund.

Gifts may be made via PayPal, bank transfer or in-kind donations at https://www.wscrf.org/donate/.

To donate by check:

Make Check Payable to Washington State China Relations Fund

Address: 1301 5th Ave, Suite 1500

Seattle, WA 98101

WSCRF Teams up with CCCWA to Support Local Businesses and Feed Frontline Workers

The Washington State China Relations Fund (WSCRF), the charitable arm of the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC), has joined forces with the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Washington State (CCCWA) to provide meals to frontline workers fighting Covid-19 while simultaneously supporting local restaurants.

CCCWA and partnering organizations and restaurants initiated their “Food with Love” Program on March 30, 2020 (https://foodwithlovecovid19.com). The program recruited 15 local restaurants to prepare meals to be delivered to frontline healthcare workers and first responders at over 20 hospitals, police stations and mobile testing sites. To date over 11,000 meals have been delivered. The meals delivered to date have been financed by donations from the restaurants themselves, an in-kind contribution from Chowbus, a food delivery system, and by cash donations. To meet the initial target of raising $400,000 to providing 17,500 meals by June 30, 2020, the program needs to raise an additional $58,000 to complete its objective.

The WSCRC and WSCRF, recognizing the great efforts by the Chinese Community in Washington State to pitch in to defeat the virus, encourage its members and partners to support this effort. The WSCRF is able to receive donations and issue a tax-deductible receipt. We appreciate your support.

Please contact us if you know of any restaurants who might be interested in participating in this effort.

 

You could help this effort through the following channels:

 

 

PayPal
Send payment to admin@wscrc.org

Check Payment
Make Check Payable to: Washington State China Relations Fund
Address: 1301 5th Ave, Suite 1500
Seattle, WA 98101

Bank Transfer
Bank Name: East West Bank
Account Name: Washington State China Relations Fund
Routing Number: 125108492
Account Number: 8662009086

To receive tax-exemption receipt, please provide the donor’s name, email and contact number when making the donation.

For more information and questions, please contact info@wscrc.org.

We hope that you and your family stay safe and healthy.

Thank you for your kind support.

WSCRF Facilitates the City of Hangzhou PPE Donation to Seattle

Seattle (April 30, 2020) – The Washington State China Relations Council’s (WSCRC) new sister organization, the Washington State China Relations Fund (WSCRF), this week received a shipment of 10,000 N95-equivalent masks donated by the City of Hangzhou. Acting on behalf of the final recipient, the City of Seattle, the WSCRF, as a charitable organization, was able to import the masks duty free under new rules recently implemented by the Customs and Border Protection Agency. WSCRF’s involvement in this transaction helped to expedite the shipment and ensure that the masks could meet immediate needs.

The masks were delivered this week to the warehouse of the Fire Department of the City of Seattle. The masks will be used by fire and police personnel.

The City of Seattle signed an MOU with the City of Hangzhou in 2016. Hangzhou, home to Alibaba, was one of several cities visited by a recent Washington trade delegation coordinated by the WSCRC. During the visit, the delegation conducted very productive discussions with the Deputy Mayor of Hangzhou, visited Zhejiang University, and met with a number of technology companies with interests in investing in the Seattle area. Hangzhou had planned to send reciprocal delegations to Seattle to explore further collaboration opportunities between the two cities in February and May respectively, but was forced to postpone these trips due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Mayor Durkan expressed the City’s appreciation to the City of Hangzhou, noting that this gesture further strengthens the bonds of friendship between the two cities. The Mayor also commended the Washington State China Relations Council for its efforts to foster this important relationship over the years. Despite the ongoing challenges in U.S.-China relations, this act of benevolence from Hangzhou illustrates the strong, resilient ties between cities on both sides of the Pacific, and offers a way forward for strengthening commercial, scientific, and public health collaboration. The WSCRC will continue to play a pivotal role in these efforts.

The WSCRF plans to assist the City with future donations of imported PPEs from China.

To learn more about WSCRC, please visit www.wscrc.org.

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Washington State China Relations Council

1301 5th Avenue, Suite 1500 Seattle, WA 98101-2611

Tel: (206) 441 - 4419

E-mail: info@wscrc.org

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