(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

Originally published on Seattle Times February 12, 2020

There has been a long, deafening silence from the Trump administration on the coronavirus. What actions have transpired include steps to protect U.S. citizens, which we support, but also embarrassing gaffes, such as Wilbur Ross’ rightly pilloried remark that the coronavirus presents potential economic opportunities for American workers.

The United States has long been able to carry itself above the fray, putting aside adversarial country-to-country grievances to bring humanitarian help and supplies to those in need. To address this global health crisis, we strongly encourage the federal government to provide basic humanitarian aid to China.

It was this country, even after labeling Iran part of an “axis of evil,” that delivered much needed humanitarian aid in 2003 to victims and others displaced by a catastrophic earthquake. It was the U.S. that, without hesitation, sent legions of medical staff and military personnel to sub-Saharan Africa in 2014 to combat the spread of Ebola and treat those infected. Yet in 2020, as the entire nation of 1.4 billion Chinese is under quarantine, there has been hardly a mention from our national leaders on what the U.S. can do to support China in this time of crisis.

Yes, the U.S.-China relationship has its share of warts. There are countless complaints by the U.S. government and American business about China’s subsidization of state-owned enterprises or its stealing of intellectual property. But these grievances do not extend to the Chinese people, many of whom in Wuhan and elsewhere are running out of basic medical supplies like masks and surgical gowns.

In response to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the United States and other countries have closed their borders to visitors from China to contain the spread of the virus. Although the World Health Organization does not recommend or encourage countries to close borders, it is a sovereign nation’s right to protect its citizens in a manner it believes effective. We will not argue this decision. However, as the world’s leading economic power and a country with a proud history of providing relief during humanitarian disasters, the U.S. should step up to assist and aid China to mitigate the impacts of the virus on the Chinese citizenry.

At the Washington State China Relations Council, we have been fielding multiple inquiries about how concerned local citizens may donate masks, gowns and other items as well as questions about where to direct cash donations destined for China. Emails have poured into our office from Chinese organizations asking for help to source supplies for local and regional health authorities.

Citizens around the country are leading grassroots funding campaigns and gathering medical supplies that will hopefully find their way to China. International nonprofit organizations such as Project Hope are arranging for chartered flights to carry supplies to Wuhan and other large Chinese metropolises. U.S. corporations, many of them based here in Washington, have donated large quantities of medical supplies. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made $100 million available to fight the virus.

The U.S. has volunteered to send Center of Disease Control (CDC) experts to China to help Chinese medical authorities with their study and strategies to control the virus, which should be commended. However, more is needed.

It is time for both countries to put name-calling and inaction aside and work together to solve this global crisis. The U.S. government should immediately solicit medical supplies and other needed items for China — if even on a limited basis — and offer these to the Chinese authorities. Such a goodwill gesture not only supports efforts in China to stem the crisis but will also help to mitigate the risk that the virus could rapidly multiply in our country. The amount of aid is not the real issue — this is a question of doing the right thing for people in need.

The Washington State China Relations Council welcomes the signing of the Phase One Trade Deal with China. The Council sees the agreement as a modest step in getting the two economies back to business, however, the deal does not address the underlying issues of conflict between the two countries.

Under the terms of the agreement China has pledged to purchase $200 billion of US products along with commitments to address intellectual property and currency concerns as well as to improve market access in sectors such as financial services.  The US will cancel tariffs that had been scheduled to be enforced on Dec. 15, 2019 and cut in half a previous round of 15 percent tariffs on $120 billion worth of products.

Key issues, such as subsidies and industrial policies were not included in this agreement and remain major sources of friction between the two countries.  These issues will supposedly be tackled in the Phase 2 discussions which have yet to be scheduled.

WSCRC will host an event “Unpacking the U.S. – China Phase 1 Trade Deal” on February 6^th in Seattle to exam the newly signed agreement and to outline opportunities for Washington State Companies. Please REGISTER HERE.