Resolution recommends sister-state tie between Hawaii, Fujian province

A resolution recommending the state initiate a sister- state relationship with China’s Fujian province was adopted Thursday by the state House.

Supporters of the resolution say it would strengthen existing ties, which have included trade, educational and cultural exchanges, and COVID-19 assistance.

“We have a sizable Fujianese community,” said state Rep. Adrian Tam (D, Waikiki), who introduced House Resolution 68. “The purpose of these sister-state relationships is to create closer ties between the two provinces for cultural exchanges and educational exchanges.”

Tam introduced the resolution at the prompting of members of the local Fujianese community who say establishing the tie would build on existing relationships and make it easier to forge new ones based on tourism and business interests.

“We just want to do something that would contribute to the communities, and I think that this would be a good start for many of us,” said Ben Cheng, a member of the Hawaii Fujian Business Association. “We know that there’s a lot of our friends and families, and fellow businessmen in Fujian who want to invest in Hawaii.”

Shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hawaii Fujian Business Association donated 100,000 masks and 2,500 pieces of protective clothing to the Fujian capital, Fuzhou. A few months later, Fuzhou returned the favor by donating 20,000 masks to Honolulu’s first responders.

In October 2021, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the mayor of Fuzhou signed an agreement formally establishing sister-city ties. Since then, exports of Hawaii products such as macadamia nuts and coffee to the area have notably increased, according to Wun Xiao Zhang, vice president of the Hawaii Fujian Business Association.

The agreement also helped establish sister-school ties between ‘Iolani School and Fuzhou No. 3 Middle School, as well as the University of Hawaii at West Oahu and Fujian’s Minjiang University, Zhang said. Although COVID- 19 delayed plans to carry out student exchange programs, he said he hopes that furthering ties between Fujian and Hawaii will help get the program back on its feet.

Hawaii already has sister- state ties with Taiwan and the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Hainan, according to HR 68. Fujian province boasts China’s second-highest gross domestic product per capita, Cheng said, and has one of China’s fastest-growing economies. He added that many in the province wish to learn more about Hawaii in terms of investment opportunities and vacation destinations.

Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.