If you spend any time tracking economic development in Tacoma, you notice something that doesn’t always get enough attention: this city has been doing international business since before “global supply chains” was a buzzword. The Port of Tacoma has been a Pacific gateway since the late 1800s. The sister city program stretches back to 1959, when Tacoma first linked up with Kitakyushu, Japan. And the World Trade Center Tacoma — the only full-service WTC in the Pacific Northwest — has been quietly connecting Pierce County operators to overseas markets for decades.
What’s changed in 2026 is the pace and the intentionality. State-level trade missions, newly expanded sister city partnerships, and a foreign investment pipeline into downtown Tacoma are all converging at once. Here’s what local operators and community leaders need to know.
The Japan Trade Mission: Tacoma Sent a Delegation to Tokyo in May 2026
The most significant recent development on the international business front is the Washington Secretary of State’s Japan Trade Mission, which ran May 16–27, 2026. Led by Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the 40-member delegation traveled to Tokyo to reinforce Washington’s position as one of Japan’s most important American trading partners.
Tacoma’s fingerprints were all over this one. The World Trade Center Tacoma was among the coordinating organizations, and the Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County (EDB) participated directly. The delegation covered sectors that matter deeply to Pierce County: aerospace, sustainable aviation fuel, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing.
The numbers behind this relationship are not small. Japan is the largest foreign investor in the United States, and the Washington State-Japan bilateral trade relationship is valued at $11.1 billion. Tacoma and Pierce County are specifically home to multiple Japanese-owned U.S. subsidiaries that have collectively invested more than $550 million in capital expenditures over the past decade, according to the South Sound Business Journal.
These aren’t abstract statistics. They represent factories, logistics facilities, and engineering jobs that exist in Pierce County because of sustained relationship-building over years. The May 2026 mission was the continuation of that work — executives and public officials in the same room, reinforcing connections that underpin thousands of local paychecks.
Tacoma’s 15 Sister Cities: The World’s Longest-Running Business Development Network
People sometimes think of sister city programs as ceremonial — plaques, cultural festivals, the occasional student exchange. That undersells what Tacoma’s program actually is. The Tacoma Sister Cities network encompasses 15 relationships across four continents, and for operators with international ambitions, these connections represent real access.
The full roster includes:
- Asia-Pacific: Kitakyushu, Japan (1959) | Fuzhou, China (1994) | Gunsan, South Korea | Taichung, Taiwan | Davao City, Philippines
- Europe: Aalesund, Norway | Biot, France | Hvar, Croatia | Brovary, Ukraine
- Russia/Eurasia: Vladivostok, Russia (1992)
- Africa/Middle East: George/Garden Route District, South Africa | El Jadida, Morocco | Kiryat Motzkin, Israel
- Americas: Boca del Rio, Mexico | Cienfuegos, Cuba
According to the City of Tacoma, the program focuses on cultural arts and tourism, global education, government relations, and international business development. That last bucket is the one that deserves more attention from the Pierce County business community.
Why the Pacific Rim Relationships Are Particularly Valuable
Of Tacoma’s 15 sister cities, the Pacific Rim relationships carry the most direct commercial weight — which makes sense given the Port’s geographic position. Kitakyushu has been a sister city for 67 years and has an industrial economy that mirrors Tacoma’s: manufacturing, logistics, environmental technology, and steel. Fuzhou is a major Chinese port city and manufacturing hub. Gunsan, South Korea has aerospace and automotive ties. Taichung is Taiwan’s second-largest city and a semiconductor and machinery manufacturing center.
For Tacoma businesses looking at export markets, these aren’t just symbolic relationships. They’re introductory infrastructure — a channel into business communities that are otherwise difficult to access cold.
A New Chapter with South Africa: The Garden Route Partnership
The most recent headline in Tacoma’s sister city world comes from the other side of the Pacific Rim frame — the South African coast. In March 2026, the City of Tacoma officially elevated its 28-year relationship with George, South Africa into a broader district-wide partnership with the Garden Route District Municipality, a coastal economic zone that shares notable similarities with Pierce County: port access, maritime culture, outdoor recreation, and a growing agricultural export sector.
That expansion was followed quickly by action. A Garden Route delegation visited Tacoma from April 23–28, 2026, according to the Garden Route District Municipality’s official release. The visit, coordinated by Tacoma Sister Cities’ Melannie Cunningham, focused on port city and maritime trade alignment, agricultural export opportunities in the ostrich industry, skills transfer and vocational education exchange, and tourism and sports diplomacy frameworks.
This is what a mature sister city program looks like in practice — not a one-time visit but an escalating series of structured exchanges that build toward actual commerce. The Garden Route partnership expansion suggests Tacoma’s international affairs office is actively working to add economic substance to these relationships.
The World Trade Center Tacoma: Your On-Ramp to International Markets
If you’re a Pierce County business owner thinking “I’d like to be in the room when these delegations come through,” the World Trade Center Tacoma (WTCT) is where you start. Operating as the lone full-service WTC in the Pacific Northwest, WTCT specializes in organizing inbound and outbound trade missions, connecting local firms with international buyers and distributors, export counseling and market-entry support, and coordinating with state agencies, the Port, and the EDB on investment attraction.
The Port of Tacoma has described WTCT as the connective tissue between the region’s trade infrastructure and the individual businesses that want to use it. For mid-sized manufacturers, ag exporters, or tech firms looking at Pacific Rim market entry, WTCT is the most direct path into that network.
The Bigger Picture: $52 Billion in Annual Trade and a Port That Beats LA on Speed
All of this diplomatic and organizational activity sits on top of a genuinely exceptional piece of trade infrastructure. Pierce County’s position in the Pacific Rim economy isn’t aspirational — it’s structural. Tacoma trades nearly $36 billion in goods with Japan and China alone. Total international trade value through the Northwest Seaport Alliance approaches $75 billion annually, supporting 48,000+ jobs and $4.3 billion in regional revenue. The Port’s location gives shippers access to Pacific Rim markets several days faster than LA or San Diego. And the Port’s Foreign Trade Zone #86 allows businesses to delay or eliminate U.S. Customs duties on imported inputs.
According to Make It Tacoma, Chinese foreign direct investment alone has contributed more than $300 million toward downtown Tacoma development, including a 22-story four-star hotel and mixed-use projects near the Convention Center.
This is the context in which those trade missions and sister city exchanges happen. They’re not feel-good diplomacy layered on top of a standard mid-size American city. They’re relationship maintenance for a regional economy that is genuinely, structurally embedded in the Pacific Rim trade system.
What This Means for Pierce County Operators in 2026
The immediate takeaways for local business owners and economic development stakeholders: The Japan relationship is active and being tended. If you’re in aerospace supply chain, agriculture, manufacturing, or logistics and haven’t engaged with the EDB or WTCT about Japan market access, the May 2026 trade mission is a reminder that state-level infrastructure is in place to support that work.
The South Africa expansion is a signal worth watching. The Garden Route partnership is broader than a single-city tie — it’s a district-to-city framework that could open agricultural and maritime commerce channels that didn’t exist before. Operators in food production, port services, and vocational education have specific angles here.
And the sister city network is real infrastructure, not ceremony. With 15 relationships active and the City’s international affairs office clearly engaged, Tacoma has warm introductory access into business communities across Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and beyond. That access has to be activated by individual businesses — but the on-ramp exists.
Tacoma has been a Pacific Rim city since the railroads arrived. The difference in 2026 is that the diplomatic, organizational, and trade infrastructure is more sophisticated than it’s ever been — and more of it is accessible to operators who know to look.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many sister cities does Tacoma have?
Tacoma has 15 official sister cities spanning four continents, including Kitakyushu (Japan), Fuzhou (China), Gunsan (South Korea), Taichung (Taiwan), Davao City (Philippines), Vladivostok (Russia), Aalesund (Norway), Biot (France), Hvar (Croatia), Brovary (Ukraine), El Jadida (Morocco), George (South Africa), Boca del Rio (Mexico), Cienfuegos (Cuba), and Kiryat Motzkin (Israel).
What is the World Trade Center Tacoma and what does it do?
The World Trade Center Tacoma (WTCT) is the only full-service World Trade Center in the Pacific Northwest. It facilitates inbound and outbound trade missions, connects Pierce County businesses with international partners, and coordinates with state agencies to support export growth and foreign direct investment in the region.
What was the 2026 Washington State Japan Trade Mission?
Led by Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the May 2026 Japan Trade Mission sent a 40-member delegation to Tokyo from May 16–27. The delegation included World Trade Center Tacoma, the EDB for Tacoma-Pierce County, state legislators, and industry leaders in aerospace, agriculture, and creative industries. Japan is Washington’s largest foreign investment partner, with bilateral trade valued at $11.1 billion.
How much trade flows through the Port of Tacoma with Pacific Rim countries?
Tacoma trades nearly $36 billion in goods with Japan and China alone, with total international trade volume across the Northwest Seaport Alliance approaching $75 billion annually. The Port of Tacoma’s location gives shippers access to Pacific Rim markets several days faster than West Coast ports like Los Angeles and San Diego.
What is Tacoma’s newest international partnership in 2026?
In March 2026, Tacoma elevated its 28-year sister city relationship with George, South Africa to a broader district-wide partnership with the Garden Route District Municipality. An exchange delegation visited Tacoma April 23–28, 2026, focusing on port city trade, maritime culture, skills transfer, ostrich industry exports, and academic exchange programs.
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