Council Welcomes New Chinese Consul General

Sino-American relations may be strained, but that isn’t interfering with the Bay Area Council’s long-standing work to advance regional economic partnerships with China. The Council recently was honored to host a reception for new Chinese Consul General to San Francisco Donghua Wang welcoming him to the Bay Area and reaffirming our commitment to expanding and deepening bilateral trade and investment between our region and China. The Council has worked for more than 10 years to develop economic ties with China through four offices we operate in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Beijing. The Council also partners with California to run the state’s China trade office.

In remarks during the reception, Consul General Wang reiterated the consulate’s perspective that California and China are economically complementary and the two sides have great potential for expanding trade and investment. He also spoke candidly about his personal thoughts on the trade war, which he believes is a deeply flawed policy that will see no winners. He called for a renewed perspective on trade talks that focuses on practical, mutually beneficial goals. Consul General Wang also spoke about intellectual property protection in China and requirements that foreign companies seeking to operate in China transfer technology to Chinese companies—two issues that have been at the center of the U.S.-China trade dispute.

The Consul General was joined at the reception by Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Deputy Director Awinash Bawle; California Secretary for Environmental Protection Matthew Rodriquez; Deputy Consul General Ren Faqiang; Economic and Commercial Counselor Yang Yihang; and executives from more than 30 Bay Area companies. The Council extends its great appreciation to former Consul General Linquan Luo for his partnership during his leadership of the consulate. To engage in the Council’s China work, please contact Chief of Global Initiatives Del Christensen.