Ed Murray, Seattle Mayor, announced that Vanke, the biggest real estate developer in China, has partnered with developer Laconia in making investment in a 43-story Seattle tower at 600 Wall Street. This will be China Vanke's first expansion to Seattle. To be built on the land which is now a triangular parking lot, the tower will have 400 residential units, retail space of nearly 2,000 square feet, as well as parking space for 315 vehicles. Murray says China is one of the most important trading partners for Washington. There're several other cooperation projects between Seattle and China on the way, including medical research cooperation with the City of Shenzhen, direct airline services by Xiamen Airlines, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding with the city of Hangzhou. Read more here.