Officials from the U.S. state of Hawaii are in southern China's Guangdong Province to explore trade opportunities and deepen cultural ties. Marking 40 years of sister province and state ties, officials say this visit is as much about reconnecting with ancestral roots as it is about doing business. With 75 percent of Chinese families in Hawaii tracing their heritage to this region, officials say relationships like these offer "generational connections" that outlast tariffs and politics. "It's soft diplomacy," one official said. "Sister-state relationships can be the role model for national policies."