Dear WSCRC Members and Friends,

It is with great sadness that the Washington State China Relations Council marks the passing of Robert Carl Anderson (Bob), one of the founders and the first president of the Council. Bob died peacefully on July 8th, just a few days before his 92nd birthday.

Bob was a veteran with six years of service, including active duty with the Naval Air Service during the Korea War. In 1968 he was elected Mayor of Everett, where he played a key role in having Boeing establish their 747 plant at Paine Field. Bob served as the Mayor of Everett through 1977.

In 1978, Governor Dixy Lee Ray appointed Bob as the Director of the Washington State Department of Commerce and Economic Development. In this capacity he traveled to China with the Governor and met Deng Xiaoping. Following that trip Bob, together with four other foresighted individuals, established the Washington State China Relations Council to build ties between the state and China.  As stated in his obituary “Bob was particularly proud of being a founding President and Director of the Washington State China Relations Council.”

Dr. Robert Kapp, who was appointed by Bob as the Executive Director of the Council, provided us with his recollections of Bob:

“How to speak of Bob Anderson in a few words?  Let’s put it this way: without Bob Anderson, there would be no Washington State China Relations Council. Without Bob Anderson, the rapid progress that Washington State made in its multi-sided China engagements in the decade of greatest optimism and activism would not have been made. And without Bob Anderson with his particular combination of friendliness, open-mindedness, personal energy, clarity of expression, and deep political savvy, both Washingtons would not benefitted from the fledgling organization whose founding he led.  Bob was a man for all seasons, and all occupations:  he was a public servant of the best kind, decent, ethical, and practical.  His working life spanned the private sector, the public sector, and the NGO sector.  His personal life brought us to know the talented and wise Dona Anderson as well.  Whether members of today’s WSCRC knew Bob Anderson personally or not, they are the beneficiaries of his vision and his leadership, as are the Council’s long list of friends and colleagues in the PRC.

On a personal note, I will forever be grateful to Bob for the gamble he and the Council’s founders took on me, a youngish academic with an imploding campus career and almost no experience in either the business sector or in politics.  Bob, who was then heading Washington State’s Department of Commerce, found a bit of state funding for the inauguration of the Council, and told me, “This has to last until you can pay yourself a salary.”  It was a wonderful challenge and a wonderful opportunity.

Thanks again, Bob, for tolerating me as I made the transition from my old world to my new one, and for leading our Council along the paths to expanded Washington State engagement with China.    I will always feel honored to have been your disciple and your friend.”

Jim Dwyer, one of the original founders and former president of the Council, also sent us his memories of Bob: “Bob was an instrumental founder of the Council. He brought the perfect temperament to help bridge the mission of the council with the public sector, private sector and other non profits, some of whom considered the council a potential competitor. The beautiful thing he always carried himself with a smile on his face.”

The Council is honored to have been graced by Bob’s wisdom, guidance, and service over the years. We send our sincere condolences to his family.

Bob’s memorable life and accomplishments are described in this obituary written by his family.

The Washington State China Relations Council’s charity arm, the Washington State China Relations Fund recently produced a two-part webinar series addressing the rise of Asian Hate crimes and violence in our community.

The first webinar, held on June 24^th,  featured leaders of the AAPI community who shared their concerns and insightful comments on the rise of crimes against Asians, particularly since the outbreak of Covid 19. The panel included Connie So, UW Professor, Sam Cho, Commissioner for the Port of Seattle, Helen Wong, the director of the Chinese Information and Cultural Center and Lori Matsukawa former King 5 anchor. The speakers emphasized the need for greater educational efforts to highlight the contributions of Asian Americans in the history of the U.S. They also praised the work of Asian American journalists who are presenting an Asian viewpoint in the mainstream media.

The second part of the series on July 8^th focused upon government responses to the rise of Anti-Asian hate crimes. The interim Chief of Seattle Police, Adrian Diaz related that there was an almost doubling of reported hate crimes between 2019 and 2020 and noted that the department is  increasingly focusing upon community outreach to address the issue. The FBI’s Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Bruett explained how the FBI becomes involved in hate crime cases. Prosecutors from the King County Prosecutor’s Office Yessenia Manzo and David Bannick provided how hate crimes are under-reported and as stand-alone crimes difficult to prosecute. Ye-Ting Woo, who recently left her post as a Federal Prosecutor in the region to become the Resident Legal Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, spoke of federal grants that are available to local police forces to address hate crimes. The speakers also provided useful information on by-stander intervention and crime reporting.

The Council would like to thank all panelists for their availability to participate in the discussions and providing their candid opinions. We’d also like to extend the appreciation to Nelson Dong, a partner in the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney and a long-time engaged board member of the Council, for moderating both sessions.

The first session (community voices) can be viewed here.

The second session (government perspectives) can be viewed here.

The Washington State China Relations Council and its partners recently prepared a document for federal, state and local officials, outlining policies that these organizations endorse with the intent to improve the competitiveness of Washington businesses in their dealings with China.

As the Biden Administration formulates its China Policy, Washington businesses hope for a reset in the U.S.-China relationship that enables vigorous, fair economic competition and trade while honestly raising and addressing challenges. As the most trade dependent state in the union, many Washington businesses have ideas on how China policy should be shaped in the future. This document has been prepared to assist elected and government officials to understand the positions of major trade associations in our state. The Washington State China Relations Council solicited the perspectives and concerns of these associations on how the current state of U.S.-China relations impacts their members. The Council also asked these organizations what policies they would like to see implemented by the current administration and our local legislature to improve business operations and opportunities for their member companies and constituents. A summary memo consolidating the viewpoints of some members of these organizations is presented in the report.

Key policy recommendations are:

1. Create a more level playing field by eliminating non-tariff and regulatory trade barriers.

2. Create a stable, competitive trading environment through reviewing and eliminating tariffs.

3. Strengthen intellectual property and cybersecurity protections and enforcement.

4. Expand U.S. visa availability and increase predictability in the U.S. visa process.

5. Strengthen domestic Infrastructure and investment—at both the federal and state levels—to improve Washington State’s global competitiveness.

6. Advance environmental sustainability and human rights as priorities in the bilateral relationship in a manner that maintains global economic stability.

7. Seek constructive new areas for collaboration and cooperation with China, including on climate change, global health, and other common challenges.

8. Facilitate constructive sub-national relations with China.

The WSCRC would like to thank our partner organizations, CleanTech Alliance, the Northwest Horticultural Council, Visit Seattle, and the Washington Technology Industry Association, for providing their valuable inputs. Individual memos from each participating association are included in the report’s appendix.

Click to read and download the full report.

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.