For Immediate Release

Media Contact:                                 
Name: Man Wang
Email: manw@wscrc.org
Phone: 206-389-7204

Washington State China Relations Council Integrates Educational Programs with Asia Society Seattle

New Office is International Nonprofit’s First in Pacific Northwest 

April 20, 2023 – Seattle – The Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC), a Seattle-based nonprofit organization founded in 1979 that advocates for constructive bilateral relations and business ties, announced today it will transfer its cultural and educational programs to a newly established Asia Society Seattle office on May 1.

The WSCRC, a 501(c)(6) organization, will continue its trade-promotion and policy-advocacy work on behalf of its members throughout Washington state. These activities include helping connect government agencies and businesses across the Pacific, facilitating and leading inbound and outbound delegations to and from China, supporting foreign direct investment attraction efforts, and providing policy briefs and analysis to the Washington Congressional delegation.

The organization’s work that increases public education, advances people-to-people and cultural exchange between Washington and China and contributes to our region’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the bilateral relationship will be integrated into the Asia Society’s burgeoning operations in the Pacific Northwest. As a 501(c)(3), the Asia Society is not authorized to conduct trade-promotion or policy-advocacy activities.

The Board of the WSCRC has approved the integrations and shift in programming focus. Additional details regarding the opening of the Asia Society’s Seattle office will be forthcoming.

“This integration kicks off an exciting new chapter for our region, our members and Washington state businesses,” said Marc Berger, WSCRC Board Chair. “The new Asia Society Seattle office will be able to draw upon the WSCRC’s extensive experience, connections and brand equity to expand and amplify  programming that advances our shared missions. Combining the expertise, depth, and legacies of these two organizations will deliver greater value and access to our member companies and the community.”

The WSCRC is the country’s leading statewide organization dedicated to strengthening trade, commercial and civic ties with China. With a membership that includes global companies, government agencies and leading experts, the Council facilitates dialogue and organizes delegations with American and Chinese business and government leaders on key policy issues, including investment, trade, environment and diplomacy. The Council has hosted or co-hosted every Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping, including the visit of President Xi Jinping to Seattle in 2015, as well as the 2014 Bo’ao Forum for Asia, the first time the conference was held in North America.

The Asia Society, founded in 1954 by John D. Rockefeller, is the leading educational institution dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships across people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a shared future.

WSCRC’s Executive Director, Norwell Coquillard, was quoted in the Seattle Times on May 27^th in an editorial titled “U.S. influence in Asia, benefits at home, depend on Pacific trade pact.” In the article the editors of the Seattle Times applaud President Biden’s recent announcement of a new economic bloc meant to counter China’s growing economic presence around the world. However, the writers note that the agreement of newly heralded association of nations is short on details. The Seattle Times posits that the administration should strive to return to the previously negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as the way forward for U.S. trade in the Pacific. Although the authors credit President Trump with taking a more aggressive stance vis a vis China, they argue that his unilateral tariffs have not improved the U.S.’s trading position in the Pacific.

The Seattle Times quotes WSCRC’s Executive Director as noting that “China’s tariffs have gone down for people like the E.U., Australia and Japan. They have down over the past four or five years, while the U.S. ones have gone up into the 20% range,” Mr. Coquillard went on to say when it comes to the tariffs the U.S. is “shooting itself in the foot.”

The article concludes with a plea for the administration to return to the TPP framework and build the political will at home to enact trade agreements to strengthen the U.S.’s economic influence and fair competition in the Pacific region.

Engage and compete with China to boost Washington’s economic recovery

This Op-ed was published online on April 16 and in print on April 18.

The recent frosty consultations between senior Chinese and U.S. officials in Anchorage brought into stark relief the scale of the challenges that must be navigated within this crucial bilateral relationship. These challenges resonate strongly here in Washington, for no state is more on the front line, or has more at stake, in U.S.-China relations.

The erosion in U.S.-China relations has had a punishing effect on our state’s economy. In 2020, Washington state exports to China were just $3.5 billion, down from $14.6 billion (adjusted for inflation) in 2018. Non-aerospace exports fell more than 27% in real terms in 2019 before rebounding 15% in 2020. Most notably, export sales of aircraft to China fell from an average of $11.7 billion per year (adjusted for inflation) in the years 2014-2018 to zero in 2019.

Many of the issues raised by the Trump administration, from weak intellectual property enforcement to unfair trade practices, were longstanding and legitimate concerns among the business community. But the approach, including tariffs and a go-it-alone strategy, was incoherent, haphazard and ineffective.

The Biden administration needs a fresh approach to meet the challenges of an ever more aggressive China. While maintaining the Trump tariffs in the near term, the new administration recognizes that the previous policy single-handedly confronting China was a failure that made little progress on China’s market interventions and burdened U.S. consumers with higher prices from tariffs. Biden’s team must rapidly rebuild a coalition of allies to push back against China’s aggressiveness and align international institutions on the actions and reforms China must take. Coupled with efforts to further level the playing field for U.S. companies doing business with China are steps that the administration must take which will directly improve Washington communities and businesses by improving American industry’s global competitiveness.

Members of the Washington State China Relations Council, and the Washington business community more broadly, have constructive ideas for how U.S. policy toward China should be shaped. The council has consulted with a wide range of organizations across many sectors of our state’s economy. Five core themes rise to the top of policy recommendations members and businesses would like federal, state and local governments to implement. While these policies are national in scope, we believe they’ll show positive returns in Washington state.

First, remove barriers that impede America’s trade with China. The new administration must exert constructive pressure, as a country and with its allies to call out China for its mercantilist trade policies and overzealous protection and manipulation of its home market in favor of Chinese companies. This includes reviewing and eliminating tariffs imposed under the Trump administration — particularly those proven to harm American businesses and households — significantly strengthening intellectual property protections and enforcement and eliminating non-tariff and regulatory trade barriers to Washington goods and services in China. We must have true reciprocity where U.S., UK, EU, and Canadian companies, for example, have the exact same access and operating rights that China enjoys in these open markets — making clear to Beijing what is at risk if reform is not rapid and comprehensive.

Second, strengthen U.S. visa policies to encourage the best and brightest to pursue education, research and investment opportunities in Washington state. Chinese students, researchers, professionals and visitors contribute enormously to our state’s economic competitiveness and the rich cultural fabric of our communities.

Third, strengthen domestic infrastructure and investment — at both the federal and state levels — to improve our global competitiveness. This includes critical transportation, broadband and digital infrastructure, as well as investment in state and local economic development initiatives that play a pivotal role in building and sustaining Washington’s labor competitiveness and our trade and investment relationship with China.

Fourth, seek constructive new areas for cooperation with China, focused on shared interests. Climate change should be priority No. 1. President Xi Jinping has made bold commitments for China to quickly reach peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, aided by investments in clean energy. The Biden administration’s creation of a climate czar signals a similar commitment to address one of the world’s most pressing issues, and we are encouraged that these bilateral discussions will progress following the Anchorage meeting. Collaboration on climate change is not a choice, it’s a necessity, and will present real opportunities for Washington businesses.

Finally, we must recognize that that the issue of human rights, as manifest by our divergent viewpoints regarding Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and sensitive issues in the areas of military or economic coercion could, if not managed with a balance of strategy and force, derail the global economy. The reality is that the U.S., with its allies, together with China, are the dominant foundations of the global economy of this century, and it would be irresponsible if issues in these areas force economic disengagement. In addition to necessary domestic resilience of critical supply chains, our national security also requires full competition and economic engagement with China in all markets. This is the essential difference from the Cold War approach to the Soviet Union.

Washington state has the opportunity to model a way forward in advocating and implementing policies that advance the kind of constructive, competitive U.S.-China relationship that our communities and businesses want to see. Our global competitiveness requires economic access and engagement with China, its markets and human talent. We would be irresponsible if we pursued policies that forced either country to wholly disengage commercially from the global economy.

The Washington State China Relations Council condemns the rise of hate crimes against people of Asian and Pacific ethnicity. As the country’s oldest state-level organization dedicated to improving ties with China, the Council strives to create relationships and build greater understanding among the people of China and the United States. We are saddened by the alarming increase in hateful speech and violence directed towards the Asian immigrant and AAPI communities and extend our support and condolences to all those affected.

Since the onset of COVID-19, the irresponsible labelling of the pandemic as the “China Virus” and other racially charged epithets have exacerbated a trend of increased discrimination and resentment towards immigrants in general, and specifically those from Asia. The Council stands with members of the AAPI community and celebrates the great contributions made to our shared community by Asians of all origins. Here in the Puget Sound region, Asian-Americans comprise a significant share of our population, adding diversity and vibrancy to our community. The heritage of our region is tied to the flourishing of a multi-cultural society which has long included Asians and Pacific Islanders.

The Council will continue to denounce both individual and institutional racism. We have worked for many years to increase cross-cultural understanding with Asia. We will be unceasing in our efforts to assure individuals of all ethnicities that this community is their community.