Honorable Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,
Good afternoon! Thank you for inviting me to attend the first meeting of the Oregon-China Sister State Committee (OCSSC) after COVID. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate-General, I would like to start by extending our warmest congratulations. I also wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to Senate President Wagner, House Speaker Fahey and friends from all walks of life for their support for subnational friendship between China and the United States! The make-up of the Committee speaks volume of the tradition of bipartisan and bicameral commitment to friendship between China and Oregon.
Yesterday, I visited Mrs. Judy Hoarfrost, a former US national team table tennis player, in Portland. At the age of 15, she was the youngest participant of the historic "Ping Pong Diplomacy" in 1971. I told her how much I admired her courage to embark on the ice-breaking journey that changed the world.
China-US relations have come a long way since then and brought about enormous benefits for our two countries and the world. Bilateral trade of goods in 2024 reached US$688.28 billion, which is 275 times of the number in 1979 when diplomatic ties were established. Bilateral cooperation in various fields including robust subnational exchanges have significantly advanced people’s well-being on both sides.
China has been one of Oregon’s top trading partners. Last year, our trade reached US$7.84 billion, up by 29% over the previous year and supporting more than 35,000 jobs in Oregon. In 2023, China purchased 20% of total U.S. agricultural exports and 50% of U.S. soybean exports, which was equivalent to each American farmer exporting US$9,000 worth of agricultural products to China. U.S. is the world's largest exporter of agricultural products and China has the largest market for them. The prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides are broad.
Nevertheless, this important relationship is now facing unprecedented severe challenges. The abuse of tariffs by the US administration and the enormous uncertainty it created has seriously infringed upon the interests of people in almost all sectors and disrupted the smooth operation of the world economy. There are no winners in a tariff or trade war. China has no interest in fighting such a war, but if it is imposed on us, we are not afraid of fighting it. The resolute countermeasures we have taken are intended not only to safeguard our own legitimate rights and interests, but also to uphold international fairness and justice.
The more severe the situation, the more valuable the commitment to improve and grow our relationship, especially at the subnational level. In many ways, Oregon has taken the lead in this regard.
The resumption of OCSSC consolidates the statutory guarantee of friendship between China and Oregon. Oregon State Law Chapter 285A clearly provides for the establishment of OCSSC with Senate President and House Speaker as its co-chairs. Under the current circumstances of China-US relationship, the meeting of OCSSC today has even greater significance because it injects certainty into our relationship through statutory guarantees. On our part, there is great certainty in China's approach to China-US relationship. Our guiding principles are mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. We hope that our two sides will respect each other’s core interests and work together to move the bilateral ties forward.
The Resolution on friendship with China lays a solid foundation for cooperation in various fields. The subnational legislature is directly connected with local people, and has a better understanding of people's needs and expectations. SCR32, which the State Senate has passed recently, includes important contents that are meant to strengthen our relationship for the benefit of the people. For example, it encourages the opening of a trade office in China, visits to China by the governor and state legislators, the resumption of OCSSC, and cooperation in shipping and port development. As such, this resolution provides useful guidance for what needs to be done to enhance our friendship and cooperation. I look forward to its passage in the House.
The exchange of visits will usher in a brighter future of our cooperation. The momentum of exchange of visits between us is encouraging. This year marks the 41st anniversary of sister Province/State relations between Fujian and Oregon. We are very pleased to have with us Vice Governor Wang Jinfu and his delegation from Fujian Province. We also warmly welcome Senate President Wagner's visit to China this fall. Preparation is already underway in Fujian, Tianjin, Guangdong, Zhejiang and other provinces. I wish the visit a complete success. Such exchange of visit will open up more opportunities and write a new chapter of friendship and cooperation between China and Oregon. I hope more legislators will visit China. It is also my hope that more students from Oregon will sign up to the “50,000 students in 5 years” initiative to see a real China with their own eyes.
Dear legislators and friends,
President Xi Jinping has said that the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people, its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels.
Oregon Governor Kotek visited China as Speaker of the House in 2014. She planted a friendship tree in Tianjin. The tree has grown taller.
We are willing to work together with Senate President Wagner, Speaker Fahey and all of you present here to jointly take good care of the friendship tree through friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation, so that the tree can bear more fruits to be enjoyed by our people! Our people deserve no less.
Thank you.
