On April 17 and 18, accompanied by the interim director of the WSCRC Man Wang, Consul General Wang Donghua from the PRC’s San Francisco Consulate visited the Snohomish County Executive Office, the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County, the Port of Everett, the Washington State Department of Commerce and the City of Bellevue. Consul Wang discussed with leaders from those agencies on the importance of promoting and strengthening a healthy bilateral relationship between Washington state and China. All parties acknowledged the importance of collaborations in trade at this critical stage of U.S-China relations. New to the region, Consul Wang was very impressed with the economic status and business environment in Washington state.

On March 29 and March 30, 2019, the delegation met with a diverse group of local industry leaders, businesses, economic development organizations, academics, and civic and community leaders, including WSCRC members Global Innovation Exchange and Boeing, to discuss the impacts of the ongoing trade war on Washington state.

The delegates came away with a positive impression of Washington state and its commercial and cultural linkages with China. Delegates were grateful for the chance to see and hear about a far less fractious relationship than what often comes out of the “other” Washington. While the ongoing trade dispute has fomented a large amount of negative attention, businesses and civic leaders in Washington are committed to a strong and robust relationship with China. Washington state businesses and governments and view this relationship as critical to the state’s long-term economic success.

On March 27, 2019, the WSCRC hosted a book talk with Barbara Finamore, author of Will China Save the Planet? Barbara is a senior attorney and Senior Strategic Director for Asia at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She has nearly four decades of experience in environmental law and energy policy, with a focus on China for more than 25 years. Barbara discussed China’s ability to play a leading role in the fight against climate change in four key areas: coal, renewable energy, electric vehicles and green finance.