California Governor Gavin Newsom shocked plenty yesterday when he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Their talk came after the governor of the Union’s biggest state got a warm welcome from other senior Chinese leaders as part of his weeklong climate cooperation tour. The chummy nature of it all is a sharp contrast to the icy dialogue between the United States and China in recent years.
“I’m here in expectation, as you suggest, of turning the page, of renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future,” Newsom said in brief opening remarks ahead of his meeting with Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat. Wang is preparing to visit the US today.
Newsom’s moves to take on the climate crisis domestically and abroad have elevated his national profile, just as he is widely expected to be preparing for a White House bid in 2028.
Newsom and Xi met in the Great Hall of the People, a grand building on the west side of Tiananmen Square. They talked about ways to “accelerate our progress on climate in meaningful and substantive ways,” the California governor said at a news conference. According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Xi told Newsom “I hope your visit will enhance mutual understanding between the two sides and play a positive role in expanding cooperation between China and California and promoting the healthy and stable development of Sino-U.S. relations.”
In a post-meeting statement, Newsom said that he had “made it clear to Chinese leaders that California will remain a stable, strong and reliable partner, particularly on low-carbon green growth.”
“Divorce is not an option,” the governor added. “The only way we can solve our climate crisis is to continue our longstanding cooperation with China. As two of the world’s largest economies, the work we do together is felt in countless communities on both sides of the Pacific.”
The governor also raised other issues, per his office. He pressed Chinese leaders to halt the flow of chemicals used to create fentanyl. He also spoke with Chinese officials about ways to increase the number of Chinese visitors to California amid declining flights between them. He also discussed the Chinese imprisonment of a California pastor, David Lin, and “a variety of human rights issues including Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and Taiwan,” his office’s summary said. Newsom raised the human rights concerns in a different, seperate meeting with Chinese leaders.
Aside from receiving Newsom, Xi himself may be a part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco next month and meet with President Joe Biden, although China has not formally confirmed if he will be going.
