Now More than Ever – the WSCRC Needs Your Support

We are now only a week from the U.S. election. By now we hope most of you have dropped off your ballots or mailed them in!

While we await the final days of voting and then the results, we’d like to reflect a bit on the status of the Council, which is directly linked to the state of the U.S.-China Relationship. Those of you with a long history with the Council remember its founding at a time of great importance – the opening of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China approximately 40 years ago. Back then the Council was a leader in helping companies and the state government understand and explore opportunities in China.

The Council has long advocated for stronger and healthier ties between the U.S. and China because we firmly believe this is in the best interest of Washington state, including our businesses, institutions, and the public at large. A strong and constructive relationship opens doors for exports, increased activities at our ports, tourists, foreign students, and bilateral collaboration. This means jobs and economic wealth in out communities.

For example, during the 1990s, the WSCRC strongly argued for Most Favored Nation (MFN) status for China, which strengthened the trading relationship with China and established stronger standards. We also supported China’s entry into the WTO, which created a stronger international framework to influence China’s trade and economic policies.

The visit of Xi Jiping in 2015 set off a period of intensive activity for the Council. The enthusiasm surrounding Xi’s visit helped to boost an influx of Chinese investment, tourists, and students to our region. The Council benefitted by signing up many new members; Chinese companies, Chinese investors and local companies that hoped to create business opportunities with the new arrivals. The period from 2015 to 2017 was a period of growth for the Council.

Unfortunately, since the expansion of the trade war and harsh rhetoric from both the U.S. and China, the Council has lost most of its Chinese company members as well as local companies who had hoped to benefit from the influx of new investors. As the trade war continues and a tech de-coupling looms, the current prospects for our membership income look grim.

We believe that now, more than ever, that the Washington State China Relations Council serves a critical role for our state’s businesses, political leaders, and constituents. The Council offers a crucial platform and voice for a rational, sensible perspective on how to manage and improve bilateral relations. The Council also facilitates and strengthens subnational ties between Washington state and China, which will ensure a more prosperous future for Washington’s business community, educational institutions, and nonprofit sector.

We hope that whoever takes office next January will re-examine the current abysmal state of the U.S.-China relationship and make efforts to defuse tensions and increase diplomatic engagement. While we do not expect a return to the past, when cross-border ties were flourishing, we do hope that there will be a reset in U.S.-China relations.

In today’s strained environment, made only more difficult due to Covid-19, the Council strives to continue to bring value to its members. For example, in 2020 we have rapidly expanded our webinar programs. We hope that most of you have participated in one or more of our webinars and we encourage you to send us your comments about how we may improve our current programs and suggestions for future webinars. A list of upcoming events, either produced by the WSCRC or by a partner organization, is at the end of this letter.

Finally, we’d like to ask for your support to sustain the Council and its work. With a declining membership the entity does face an uncertain future. To bolster our financial situation, just this year the Council created a sister organization, the Washington State China Relations Fund, a charitable entity which produces the educational programs for the Council. Donations to the Fund are tax deductible and a contribution to the fund will support the Council and its work.

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

Upcoming Evnets

October 29: "Decoupling or Reset? – Update on the U.S.-China Trade Relationship and Outlook for 2021"

Nov. 10: China Town Hall with the National Committee on U.S. China Relations

Nov. 11-12: Sup China and the U.S. China Business Council “NeXT China Conference”. WSCRC members qualify for a 50% discount for this event. Please contact Man Wang at manw@wscrc.org for discount code.

Nov. 19: Book Talk | The Myth of Chinese Capitalism: The Worker, the Factory, and the Future of the World