Bridging Two Economies

The Bay Area Council’s experience and unique legacy in China have made it a statewide leader in subnational government relations and an invaluable business development resource for our region. In 2013, in partnership with Governor Jerry Brown and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the Council leveraged its position in China to facilitate the opening of the California-China Office of Trade and Investment.

The Council bridges the two economies by providing business development and government relations services to Bay Area entrepreneurs and businesses that wish to access the Chinese market, and by helping elected officials and regional governments understand and engage with Chinese counterparts.

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China Initiative Through History

The Bay Area Council’s China Initiative has been at the center of the pivotal moments in California-China relations for over a decade. Join the BAC and be a part of the of the most important geopolitical relationships of the 21st century.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Travels to China for the 2010 World Expo

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The Bay Area Council expands its reach across the Pacific by Co-Founding the Bay Area Digitization Park with Yangpu, Shanghai in 2012.

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Governor Jerry Brown visits China in 2013 and opens the California-China Office of Trade and Investment at the Bay Area Council headquarters in Shanghai

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Xie Zhenhua, Special Envoy for Climate Change with the US, and Former Governor Jerry Brown signed the first-ever climate agreement between China and a U.S. state at the Bay Area Council’s office in San Francisco in 2013.

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In 2019 the Bay Area Council kicks off the California Pavilion at the China International Import Expo; carving out a place for Bay Area Exporters to exhibit at the largest import trade show in the world.

US-China Business by the Numbers

China and the United States remain robust partners in business. For a state-by-state look at our economic ties, check out 50 States, 50 Stories from the US-China Business Council.

U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in China (stock) was $116.2 billion in 2019, a 6.3% increase from 2018

In 2019, exports to China supported nearly 1 million US jobs

In 2020, the US exported $177 billions of goods and services to China

California was the top US state exporter to China in 2020, exporting $25 billion in goods and services