From December 11-12, 2023, ICAS Executive Director Dr. Nong Hong engaged in academic discussions with various institutions in the State of Washington, which were facilitated through the invitation extended by the China Ocean Institute. Dr. Tabitha Grace Mallory (Founder and CEO of the China Ocean Institute and Affiliate Professor of the University of Washington Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies), Mr. Wang Sheng (President of China National Institute for South China Sea Studies–NISCSS), Dr. Ding Duo (Deputy Director, Research Center for Oceans Law and Policy, NISCSS), Dr. Hu Xin (Assistant Research Fellow, Research Center for Maritime Economy, NISCSS) and Ms. Amanda Jin (Part-Time Research Assistant, ICAS) also participated in the group visits and exchanges.
On December 11, 2023, the group visited University of Washington (UW) and held a roundtable discussion with UW scholars including Dr. David Bachman (Henry M. Jackson, Professor of International Studies, Associate Director of the Jackson School of International Studies), Dr. Dongsheng Zang (Associate Professor of Law, Director of Asian Law Center & Visiting Scholars Program), and Dr. Chris Anderson (Professor of Fishery Economics, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences). The discussion broadly covered a wide range of topics including approaches to fishery governance in the United States and China; sustainable fishery management and protection in the South China Sea and polar regions; geopolitical tensions and possible measures to manage risks in the South China Sea; legal implications of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty; as well as the broader implications of the upcoming U.S. elections and the importance of subnational-level cooperation in maintaining a stable and constructive U.S.-China relationship. Dr. Daniel Hoffman (Jackson School Director and Stanley D. Golub Endowed Chair in International Studies at the University of Washington) also greeted the group.
Thereafter, the group visited the Seattle office of the Asia Society and talked to Dr. Man Wang (Director of Programs, Seattle Center, Asia Society) and Dr. Spencer Cohen (Principal, High Peak Strategy LLC) about their in-depth experiences in promoting trade and economic ties, connecting businesses and building people-to-people understanding between the United States and China, with a special focus on the U.S. West Coast, the state of Washington and Seattle. The conversation also covered the history and current practices of Asia Society’s Seattle Center, the geo-economic and geopolitical implications of the upcoming U.S. elections, and the current practices and future prospects of U.S. businesses in China in the midst of increasing tensions and supply chain readjustment concerns.
On December 12, 2023, the group visited the headquarters of Washington Maritime Blue to meet with Founder & President/CEO Joshua Berger and Joint Innovation Program Director Cassidy Fisher. During the meeting, Washington Maritime Blue shared their commitment and experiences to foster an ecosystem and a platform for governments, businesses, startups and researchers to promote maritime sustainable development. The group discussed the challenges and necessity to connect research efforts with industrial needs and practical difficulties in fostering sustainability; the U.S. model of public-private partnerships in maritime sustainable development; and the various practices to include stakeholders in policy decision-making.
Afterwards, the group visited Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Washington State and held a discussion with Dr. Jude Apple (Director of the Padilla Bay Reserve and Co-Director of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) Blue Carbon Working Group). The group discussed the progress and practices in the United States and China to protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems, with a focus on Washington State and the Hainan province. Dr. Apple broadly shared the latest updates of blue carbon protection and restoration work in Padilla Bay and his views on U.S. state-level carbon trading and public-private partnership related to blue carbon. The conversation also discussed blue carbon collaboration and coordination across jurisdictions and the challenges to facilitate U.S.-China academic exchanges in environment and climate. The group also toured the reserve’s interpretive center to gain firsthand understanding of the reserve’s protection and restoration work and educational programs.
