By Cheyna Kiakona
The American and Chinese flags stand at center table shortly before Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter welcomes Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army Cai Yingting of China to a meeting at the Pentagon, August 23, 2012. DoD Photo By Glenn Fawcett via Wikimedia Commons.
As U.S.-China relations face renewed uncertainty during a second term under President Donald Trump, the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) remains focused on promoting trade, subnational engagement, and people-to-people exchanges.
Founded in 1979, shortly after the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China, WSCRC has spent more than four decades promoting mutually beneficial exchanges between the two nations. As the oldest nongovernmental organization in the U.S. focused on state-level trade with China, the council plays a unique role in maintaining and strengthening Washington’s economic ties, despite broader political challenges.
“We are nonpartisan and have over 40 years of work and experience and connections,” said WSCRC Executive Director Man Wang. “So, that makes us uniquely positioned as a leading organization in the region to navigate the troubled waters ahead.”
Tensions between the U.S. and China have already heightened after Trump imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese goods, effective Feb. 4. Trade is crucial to Washington’s economy, with China remaining a key trading partner.
According to the Office of U.S. Trade Representative, China was Washington’s largest export market in 2023, receiving $11 billion worth of goods—18% of the state’s total exports. Data from the U.S.-China Business Council reveals that exports to China also supported 27,000 Washington jobs in 2022.
“Trade, and especially trade to China, is really important to Washington state, its businesses, and its residents,” Wang emphasized. “For us, we’re going to continue to do what we’re good at—what we’ve been doing.”
As a trade-focused organization, WSCRC facilitates cooperation between Washington businesses and Chinese counterparts through individual meetings, trade missions, and special events. Trade missions to and from China have decreased since COVID, but Wang stressed the importance of both inbound and outbound visits.
“Seeing is believing, right? So if you want to do business in China or with China, you need to be there to really understand what’s going on in China,” Wang explained. “What changes have happened in China and then what are the opportunities there? What are the challenges there?”
As federal-level relations between the U.S. and China continue to fluctuate, Wang mentioned that subnational engagement and communication remain important to combat misunderstandings or wrong assumptions. WSCRC has a broad network of members and partners, including companies, government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.
“That gave us the needed expertise and the resources to help public and private sectors to understand and navigate the complicated landscape,” said Wang. “For policy to change at the federal level, the states don’t have a lot of control. We need to work together as a community for a positive policy change.”
To further support businesses and policymakers, WSCRC intends to resume its quarterly Washington-China trade reports, an initiative paused in 2023. According to Wang, these reports help feed accurate information to decision-makers and the business community.
Beyond subnational diplomacy, WSCRC also promotes educational and cultural exchanges, which Wang described as essential for fostering long-term understanding between the two nations.
“People-to-people exchanges are very important in breaking cultural barriers … especially for U.S. and China. We have very different systems or have very different ideologies,” said Wang. “So people-to-people exchanges are the tool that can offset the tensions between political, government, or diplomatic relations by finding common grounds.”
Wang added that Chinese students and scholars contribute to Washington’s economy and serve as a bridge of cultural understanding between the two countries. However, the number of Chinese international students at the University of Washington (UW) has declined over the past year, dropping from 4,152 to 3,902 across all campuses.
Wang said that WSCRC aims to counter these trends by increasing collaborations with UW and other Washington schools while promoting academic partnerships between universities, such as through joint conferences.
The council is also increasing its focus on cultural diplomacy. Wang highlighted the importance of seminars, film screenings, book talks, festival celebrations, and art exhibitions as ways to bridge cultural and informational gaps.
“This actually allows both parties to appreciate each other’s culture, presence, and history,” said Wang, adding that WSCRC is looking to collaborate with other local institutions like Seattle Chinese Garden and Wing Luke Museum.
“Conflicts or tit-for-tat policies can be counterproductive and harm consumers and businesses on both sides without achieving any productive outcomes,” added Wang. “So we should work together to understand and prudently deal with the differences.”