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On April 18, 1979, a cargo ship flying the flag of the People’s Republic of China entered the Port of Seattle Harbor while Chinese and American dignitaries waited to greet her. The 637-foot, Norwegian-built M.V. LIULINHAI brought no cargo, but left Seattle with 37,000 metric tons of corn from the Midwest. This was the first time a Chinese cargo ship had entered a U.S. port in 30 years. The 13th Naval District Band played rousing music and a Seattle Fire Department fireboat shot plumes of water in to the air in welcome. The symbolic reunion heralded a new era of trade between two great countries.
"The Pacific, instead of being a barrier, should henceforth serve as a link," Deng Xiaoping, then-Vice Premier of China, said in a visit to Seattle earlier in the year. His visit to the U.S. kicked off a renewed trading relationship between the two nations and the Port of Seattle.
Six months after the LIULINHAI’s visit, the Ports of Seattle and Shanghai signed a historic Friendship Port Relationship agreement. Although a much-publicized symbol of friendly ties linking the two ports, it allowed for a great deal of substantial exchange of technical knowledge and management experience.
Trading relations ended in the late 1940s at the end of the Chinese civil war when that nation seized valuable U.S. assets. America retaliated, passing laws to hold or seize Chinese assets. After President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972, formal recognition and cooperation resumed. Prior to WWII, Seattle handled between one-quarter and one-third of China’s exports to the U.S.
Since then, China has emerged as a trading powerhouse representing one of the strongest economies in Asia, and will soon become America’s largest trading partner. In 2003, more than $8.8 billion worth of two-way trade with China passed through Seattle. Seattle has maintained strong ties with China and continues to align its business practices and infrastructure to accommodate that important trade.
The Port achieves its mission of creating economic vitality in the region by providing infrastructure that supports trade and tourism. Because that infrastructure offers quick access to lucrative Midwest markets, Seattle competes successfully with other West Coast ports.
Over the past several years more than $600 million has been invested in new container terminals and infrastructure. This year, the Port is spending $70 million to upgrade Terminal 46, in addition to renovating Fishermen’s Terminal and starting to rebuild the docks at Shilshole Bay Marina.
In 2004 the Port has a unique opportunity to highlight some of its key international ties and relationships. Celebrating this region’s special relationship with China—four major 25-year anniversaries:
Looking ahead, the Port will continue to foster strong ties between this region and China by co-sponsoring the USA China Sports Summit that is scheduled to happen in June of next year. This event will bring together elite athletes from both nations to compete in a variety of sports.
In addition to the athletic competition held throughout King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, there will be an economic summit, arts and cultural exchanges, a sports science and technology conference and sport-by-sport training camps.
Chinese officers applaud as they leave their ship M.V. Liu Lin Hai after arriving in Seattle 25 years ago.
Liu Lin Hai approaches the docks to be loaded with grain.