U.S. Heartland China Association Gets Foundation Grant

In May, I interviewed Qin Gang, China’s Ambassador to the United States, who highlighted the role of people-to-people relations in advancing ties between the two countries amid global strains. “People to people friendship lays the foundation of China-U.S. relations,” said Qin, who spoke shortly after a trip to the Midwest that included a speech at a forum organized by the United States Heartland China Association. Event speakers lauded personal exchanges as well as China’s purchases of American agricultural products.

On Saturday, in support of its work, the United States Heartland China Association was named as a recipient of one of 39 new grants totaling $12.75 million by the Henry Luce Foundation, long associated with the advancement of U.S.-Asia ties.

“A grant to the United States Heartland China Association will support the organization’s ongoing work to build constructive U.S-China relations by connecting government and business leaders from both regions and creating spaces for college students in the U.S. and China to engage with one another and share stories about intercultural living,” the statement said.

The press release didn’t say how much of the grant total went to the Heartland China Association.

The foundation also provided a grant to the Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program, which aims to improve U.S.-Asia relations by offering early-career leaders from the U.S. and the Indo-Pacific opportunities to improve their policy analysis skills. It also awarded a grant to, among others, PEN America, a writers’ organization that has taken the lead in raising awareness about recent efforts by state lawmakers to limit academic freedom at colleges and universities. “Grant funds will ensure that they can continue to monitor legislation and advocate on behalf of free expression,” the group said.

Not everyone has been pleased with the Heartland China Association’s work. “The Chinese Communist Party is working at every level to influence decision makers in the United States,” Senator Marco Rubio, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee and frequent Beijing critic, was quoted as telling the Washington Examiner in a report today. “The U.S. Heartland China Association plays a vital role in that effort.”

See related post here:

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@rflannerychina