WSCRC’s Executive Director was recently quoted in the Spokane Spokesman Review (August 4) regarding the introduction of a new bill in the Senate written to create a clearer U.S. strategy towards China. The bill, introduced by Senator Jim Risch (R, Idaho), aims to counter China’s trade practices and military build-up, invest in U.S. competitiveness, and bolster alliances and international organizations. Executive Director Coquillard outlined the importance of the Washington State – China trading relationship as well as the value of the cultural exchanges between the two countries. He also stressed that he supports U.S. efforts to bolster alliance building in order to create a unified approach to counter some of China’s more egregious trading practices. A link to the article can be found here.

On June 12, 2020, a truckload of 200,000 masks arrived at the Washington state’s warehouse, after a three-week long journey from Beijing, China. These masks, donated by the Tsinghua University Education Foundation (TUEF), was the third PPE donation the Washington State China Relations Fund accepted on behalf of the city or the state to help fight Covid-19. The other two were mask donations from the City of Hangzhou and the City of Shenzhen to the City of Seattle.

We send our sincere thanks to Tsinghua GIX for coordinating with TUEF. The successful arrival of the masks would not have been possible without Expeditors International’s support. They provided pro-bono service to help us clear the customs duty-free.

The donated masks will be delivered to Eastern Washington to support farm workers and to help slow the outbreak.

Schuyler Hoss, Director of International Affairs and Protocol at the Governor’s Office, expressed the state’s appreciation to the TUEF and looked forward to continued collaboration between Washington state and Tsinghua University. He also commended the Washington State China Relations Council and Tsinghua GIX for their facilitation of this donation, and for their efforts to foster stronger ties between Washington state and China.

WSCRC has recently been featured in several news articles and podcasts.

WSCRC’s success in importing PPEs from China was featured in an article in the Christian Science Monitor on May 18. This article also explained the “Food with Love” program which was started by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Washington State. WSCRC began to cooperate with this program in early May and has helped to increase the funds raised to support this effort.

WSCRC’s Executive Director, Nor Coquillard, was recently interviewed for the program “In China with Michelle Zou” to talk about “Maintaining Business Relations with China During Difficult Times”. Mr. Coquillard explained the Council’s efforts to maintain good relationships with his counterparts in China at the sub-national level. He also shared his advice for companies that work in China or are interested in the China market. The interview is available here. 

Seattle (May 21, 2020) – The Washington State China Relations Fund (WSCRF), this week received a donation of 40,000 surgical masks from the City of Shenzhen on behalf of the City of Seattle. This follows the WSCRF’s successful facilitation of a donation of 10,000 N95 masks from the City of Hangzhou to the City of Seattle last month. WSCRF’s involvement in this transaction helped to expedite the shipment and ensure that the masks could meet immediate needs.

The masks were delivered this week to the City of Seattle’s warehouse. They will be dispatched to the City’s first responders and social service providers to ensure their safety while providing urgent care.

These results come from multi-year outreach efforts by the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) and the City of Seattle. In May 2016, the WSCRC helped to organize and lead a weeklong business mission to China that resulted in nine major agreements and investments between the City of Seattle and the City of Shenzhen. The WSCRC signed an agreement with the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation to enhance strategic relationships and promote non-governmental cooperation between Shenzhen and Seattle. Over the years, the City and WSCRC have also hosted a number of delegations from Shenzhen. Shenzhen is also the home to BGI, one of the world’s largest genome sequencing companies. BGI has been working in partnership with Seattle institutions for years on global health initiatives, including on the current COVID-19 response, and maintains a team in Seattle.

Mayor Durkan expressed the City’s appreciation to the City of Shenzhen and looked forward to opportunities to build stronger ties between the two cities. The Mayor also commended the Washington State China Relations Council for its efforts to foster this important relationship over the years.

The WSCRF has accepted a donation of 200,000 surgical masks from Tsinghua University Education Foundation and is expecting that shipment to arrive in Seattle in the next week or two. These masks will be transferred to the State of Washington.

To learn more about WSCRC and WSCRF, please visit www.wscrc.org and www.wscrf.org.