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Washington State China Relations Council

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Mar 13 2023

WSCRC Hosts Webinar on APEC Comes to Seattle

On March 7, Monica Hardy Whaley, President of the National Center for APEC (NCAPEC), provided a highly informative and insightful discussion on the U.S. hosting of APEC this year including a large number of meetings in Seattle. Thirty years ago in 1993, Seattle hosted the first-ever APEC Leaders’ Summit on Blake Island. Washington State and Seattle has long been at the center of U.S. engagement with the Asia-Pacific region

Monica explained that from July 29 to August 21, Seattle will host the third Senior Officials’ meetings as well as several Ministerial-level sessions. The Seattle meetings will focus on women’s empowerment, health, energy, food security, disaster management and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). All the meetings will be coupled with a theme of “digital month” in Seattle as each one of them will have a digital angle. Stacy Jehlik, Director of International Affairs at the City of Seattle, was also invited to speak about how to get involved in APEC events in Seattle. She encouraged interested businesses, organizations, and individuals to contact her (click on her name above) for opportunities such as  becoming a volunteer or a sponsor.

Exact dates for the meetings have not been confirmed yet. But a calendar for the APEC meetings in the U.S. this year provides a rough timeline of all the meetings. People can also contact Monica Whaley to stay updated with the APEC agenda.

For more information about the U.S. hosting of APEC this year, please visit the NCAPEC’s website, including on the APEC CEO Summit, a FAQ page about 2023 APEC, and NCAPEC’s blog.

Click here to rewatch the webinar.

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Headline News, Recent News

Jan 11 2023

WSCRC Publishes 2022 Fourth Quarter WA-China Report

As we enter 2023, the top story out of China is the sudden reversal of it zero-COVID policy and the subsequent national wide spread of the virus. While anecdotal stories describe huge swathes of the population being infected and widespread deaths, the government has stopped reporting case counts and fatalities. The concern, heard worldwide, is a lack of transparency from the Chinese government and a concern about new variants that might arise from China.

Now that Xi Jinping has been appointed for another five-year term as China’s leader, there is hope that he may be willing to be more conciliatory in relations with the U.S. Although a break-through in major power relations is not expected, recently Xi has softened his tone in what may be an effort to improve ties with the U.S. Whether this is just an attempt to reduce U.S. sanctions imposed on issues such as semi-conductors or Xinjiang is yet to be seen. China’s strong support of Russia continues to be a major deterrent to improving ties with the U.S. As reported below, Xi is back travelling again to strengthen China’s global position.

For many years, observers of China predicted that China’s economy (on a $ basis) would exceed that of the U.S. by 2030 or earlier. However, those predictions are being called into question as the Chinese economy has slowed due to its stringent COVID policies, which have severely impacted its important real estate sector and led to a slump in productivity and consumer demand. Our articles on both the Chinese Economy and China’s real estate sector probe into these issues more deeply.

Closer to home we highlight the drop of in the number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., which has dropped by 22% from peak numbers just three years ago. At the University of Washington, the decrease has only been 5.4%.

Read the full report here. 

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Congressional Report, Headline News

Dec 21 2022

2022 Year in Review and Season’s Greetings

Dear WSCRC Members and Friends,

It’s that time of year when we want to thank you for your support, to wish you and your family a happy, safe, and peaceful holiday season and all the best for 2023.

We’d also like to present you this year in review which summarizes our main activities in 2022. Tension continues to define the geopolitical relationship between the U.S. and China. The WSCRC, in cooperation with its educational and charity arm, the Washington State China Relations Fund, constantly strives to serve its members and partners by providing high quality programs and supporting local community efforts. We are grateful to all of you who joined with us this year at our various events and we look forward to your continued support in 2022.

Programs and Events

Throughout the year, we produced or co-sponsored many high quality webinars covering important issues concerning U.S.-China relations. Many of these events are briefly described below. Recordings of some of the webinars can be found at our YouTube Channel.

                                                           
Book Talk | China’s Civilian Army:                       Prospects for U.S.-China                              A conversation with Representative
The Making of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy            Collaboration in Health Care                      Adam Smith on China
Watch the webinar recording here                               Watch the Webinar Recording here                     Watch the webinar recording here

                                            
Ukraine Crisis, China, and the Global        The China Business Environment for               Supply Chain Issues Impact the
Geopolitical Landscape: Responses            U.S. Small and Medium Enterprises                 Pacific Northwest
and Implications                                               Watch the webinar recording here                           Watch the Webinar Recording here
Watch the webinar recording here

                                            
Life under Lockdown –                                 American Northwest Exports to China:          Analyzing China’s Digital Ambitions 
Stories from Shanghai                                  2022 Export Report Highlights                          Watch the webinar recording here
Watch the webinar recording here                      Watch the webinar recording here

                                             
Book Talk | the First SuperApp:                  Assessing Biden Administration’s                      Life Under Lockdown and Partial Reopening
Inside China’s WeChat and                           China Policy: Setting the Right Course             
Watch the webinar recording here 
the New Digital Revolution                           
Watch the webinar recording here
Watch the webinar recording here

                                               
Book Talk with the Hon. Kevin Rudd |              Current Business Environment                         Talking Semiconductors 
The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a                in China                                                                    Watch the Webinar Recording here
Catastrophic Conflict between                            Watch the webinar recording here
the US and Xi Jinping’s China

                                           

  China Town Hall                                                      Unpacking the Uyghur Forced Labor             Book Talk | Mao and Markets: The Communist
Watch the Webinar Recording here                              Prevention Act                                                      Roots of Chinese Enterprise
                                                                                              Watch the Webinar Recording here                         Watch the Webinar Recording here 

  WSCRC Washington State-China Quarterly Report

We started this project in October 2021 to provide industry leaders, government officials, and their staff timely and important information and analysis about key developments in U.S.-China relations, with a focus on those stories most relevant to Washington state. We also include an updated summary of notable China engagements and activities among our local businesses and organizations.

Read our 2022 Q1 Report here

Read our 2022 Q2 Report here

Read our 2022 Q3 Report here

Support Our Work

We thank you for your continued support of our work and mission. Such support is vitally important to the future of U.S.-China business and cultural relations. You can support us by becoming a WSCRC member or making a tax-deductible contribution to the WSCRF, the charitable arm of the Washington State China Relations Council. The WSCRF sponsors the WSCRC’s educational programs highlighting facets of the U.S.-China Relationship. For non-members, a contribution to the WSCRF is a great way to support our work.

BECOME A WSCRC MEMBER

DONATE TO WSCRF

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Bi-Annual Report, Headline News

Nov 18 2022

2022 China Town Hall

On November 16, 2022, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) held its 16th annual China Town Hall. The two-part event featured a national webcast keynote, followed by local virtual discussions hosted by NCUSCR partners across the country. The Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) and the China Studies Program and East Asia Center at the University of Washington’s (UW) Jackson School of International Studies served as the local partners/sponsors in Seattle.

The national webcast featured former Ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore, Jon Huntsman, and was moderated by Stephen Orlins, President of the NCUSCR. Ambassador Huntsman touched on a host of issues, including the importance of people-to-people diplomacy, the shifting political and economic landscape in China and U.S.-China relations since the ascent of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the importance of trade, and U.S. policies on and towards China.

The local discussion panel included University of Washington professors Susan Whiting (political science) and David Bachman (Jackson School), and was moderated by Dr. Spencer Cohen, Principal at the consulting firm High Peak Strategy and an affiliate professor at the University of Washington. The discussion covered a wide range topics and issues affecting U.S.-China relations, including takeaways from the recently concluded 20th Party Congress, the Biden-Xi in-person meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali, domestic challenges, and the direction of U.S.-China bilateral relationship. Some of the highlights of the conversation included:

• The dramatic reduction in people-to-people exchange due to China’s ongoing dynamic Zero-COVID policy. These exchanges—cultural, education, familial, and friendship ties—are critical to improving understanding and reducing tensions between our two countries.

• Dr. Whiting speculated on the intentions behind recent government-triggered economic crises, such as in real estate and Zero-COVID. For example, was the government-led effort to deleverage the real estate sector an effort to reset the sector and clear away many of the obstacles inhibiting reforms previously laid out but not implemented (during the Third Plenum of the 18th Party Congress), or to expand the role of the state?

• Dr. Bachman commented on the composition of the new Politburo and Standing Committee and experience among its members. A large number of the new members come from positions leading provinces and special administration regions, such as Li Qiang (Shanghai Party Chief and projected next premier), and not from within the Central government. These provincial—as opposed to extensive central government—backgrounds may shape how they conduct national policy.

• There is wide consensus that the meeting between President Biden and President Xi earlier this week was a good sign towards improving the bilateral relationship. That said, both speakers cautioned that we should not be too optimistic at this point.

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Headline News, Recent News

Oct 26 2022

WSCRC’s Main Takeaways from China’s 20th Party Congress

The recently concluded 20th party Congress contained few surprises, but in the words of the well-respected China scholar and former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, the congress is destined to become an “era-defining event.” Here are our thoughts.

The meeting confirmed Xi Jinping as the paramount leader of China for the next five years and potentially for life. He has stacked the Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) with his allies and has removed anyone without a close personal relationship to him. The Standing Committee is composed of loyalists with longstanding connections with Xi and with whom he presumably trusts (see below for the list of new PSC Members). Several key personnel changes illustrate this, including:

  • Loyalty trumps all else. The promotion to the PSC of Li Qiang, Shanghai Party boss who has overseen the city’s disastrous Zero-COVID policy. Li has a longstanding relationship with Xi and is likely to assume the premiership.
  • Retirement of Liu He (politburo member and Vice-Premier). Liu was widely seen as a respected negotiator on trade issues with the United States.
  • Retirements of Li Keqiang (Premier) and Wang Yang (Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference). Both are 67 years old but closely linked with Hu Jintao, General Secretary from 2003 to 2013, and often viewed as counterweights on economic policy.
  • Demotion of Hu Chunhua. Hu, along with (since cashiered) Sun Zhengcai, was one of the youngest members of the 18th Politburo. He stayed on for the 19th Politburo but was left off the 20th, despite being only 59 years old. Hu Chunhua is also viewed as closely connected to Hu Jintao.
  • Age matters, until it doesn’t. Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, was reappointed to the Politburo despite being 72 years old.

The abrupt removal of Hu Jintao, caught on video and broadcast globally, has excited speculation about these personnel shifts. The exact reason for Hu’s very public escort out of the Great Hall came only moments after the press was allowed in, though the exact reasons may never be fully made available to the public. Nonetheless, the event provided a powerful, if unintended, metaphor for the changes afoot.

It is worth noting that no women are in the Standing Committee of broader 24-member Politburo (that’s right, 24, a one seat reduction from the current 25); the one woman, currently in the twenty-five person Poliburo, Sun Chunlan, was not renominated). In his work report delivered last week, and through his appointments, it is clear that Xi will continue to emphasize the primacy of Marxist-Leninist ideology.

Xi’s call for “common prosperity” and his emphasis on “national security” have sent jitters through the markets. On the announcement of the new leadership line-up, both the Hong Kong exchange and Chinese company ADRs on U.S. exchanges fell sharply. The yuan fell to its lowest level since 2008. Particularly hard hit were the shares of Chinese internet companies. The few winners in the aftermath of the Party Congress were defense and security related firms.

During his work report, delivered at the opening of the Congress, Xi repeatedly returned to issues of national security and of threats facing the nation. He dropped the oft-used phrase describing geopolitics as a period of “peace and development,” and instead urged his compatriots to “prepare for the storm” that he sees brewing in international relations. Notably he did not use bellicose language when referring to Taiwan but did emphasize that long term unification was inevitable.

The implications are clear that Xi has gained supremacy and that his loyalists are now controlling all the key levers of power. Unfortunately, from what we know of Xi’s worldview, the consolidation of power in Xi’s hands implies that confrontation and friction will be the norm for U.S.-China relations for the foreseeable future.

The new members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo with their anticipated new roles are:

  1. Xi Jinping – General Secretary, and Chairman of Central Military Commission (and expected to be made President again next March)
  2. Li Qiang – Premier (expected)
  3. Zhao Leji – Chairman of the National People Congress (NPC; legislative body) (expected)
  4. Wang Huning – Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC; political advisory body) (expected)
  5. Cai Qi – Head of the Central Secretariat (expected)
  6. Ding Xuexiang – Executive Vice Premier (expected)
  7. Li Xi – Secretary of the Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI)

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Headline News, Recent News

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