JOSEPH J. BORICH - Executive Director

Joseph J. Borich is the Executive Director of the Washington State China Relations Council. Prior to his current position, Mr. Borich was a Foreign Service Officer. He entered the Foreign Service in 1972 and was closely associated with the China field throughout most of his career, serving under every president from Nixon to Clinton in a China-related capacity. His last assignment was as Consul General in Shanghai from October 1994 through June 1997; he previously helped open this Consulate General in 1980. He also served as Director of the Taiwan Coordination staff in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Department of State, and prior to that as the last Deputy Chief of Mission in the former U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu. In his current position, Mr. Borich leads the only State-level association dedicated solely to promoting relations with China. The Council has been a leading voice since 1979 in promoting trade between China, Hong Kong, and the United States. This not-for-profit council represents over 160 corporate members such as The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, Weyerhaeuser, Frank Russell Company, Costco Wholesale, PACCAR International, Starbucks Coffee Company, major ports, banks, law firms, and other manufacturers, retailers, and businesses in Washington State. Mr. Borich was born in Minnesota in 1944, received a bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University in 1967, and a master’s degree from the University of South Dakota in 1972. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand from 1967 to 1969, and served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971, including a tour in Vietnam. Mr. Borich and his wife Ting Hsiao-hui reside in Seattle.