Gavin Newsom and Xi Jinping
The State of California
California Gov. Gavin Newsom sat down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday to focus on collaboration on addressing climate change amid fragile relations between the United States and China.
“We emphasize the important position of accelerated climate motion and cooperation on the subnational degree between the State of California and the People’s Republic of China,” the Governor’s workplace mentioned in an announcement after the assembly.
The Wednesday assembly was part of Newsom’s weeklong journey to China the place he has had a sequence of conversations with officers about how to partner on climate disaster mitigation. Newsom is the primary governor in 4 years to go to China and the primary California governor to meet with Xi since 2017.
Newsom got here underneath hearth from human rights teams and a few GOP lawmakers for his China journey.
In a letter on Friday, Republican congressmembers, together with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, requested that Newsom cancel his go to due to its said emphasis on climate change quite than addressing China’s human rights abuses and connection to the fentanyl crisis.
After the assembly with Xi, Newsom’s workplace mentioned that the governor had introduced up the human rights violations and the fentanyl challenge.
Also on Wednesday, Newsom met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Next Thursday, Yi is anticipated to go to the U.S. to converse with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and nationwide safety advisor Jake Sullivan.
U.S.-China relations at the moment relaxation on skinny ice. The international locations have clashed over trade terms, tech investment and a sequence of alleged Chinese spy balloons hovering over the U.S.
Despite these tensions, Newsom obtained a pleasant welcome from Chinese leaders. He emphasised that California nonetheless needs to work with China on climate technique even with strains going down on the nationwide degree.
“Divorce shouldn’t be an possibility. The solely means we are able to resolve the climate disaster is to proceed our long-standing cooperation with China,” Newsom mentioned in an announcement.
China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with the United States trailing proper behind it. The nation is aiming to peak its carbon emissions earlier than 2030 and be carbon-neutral by 2060. California’s personal carbon neutrality deadline is 2045. The United States as a complete has pledged to zero out its emissions by 2050.
The large environmental footprint of China has made it a key participant in softening the blow of the climate disaster.
In July, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry visited China to revive climate collaboration between the 2 international locations. U.S.-China climate cooperation had stalled after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, a transfer that angered Xi due to disputes over Taiwan’s standing of independence.
Kerry reinitiated climate talks with China in an effort to make progress forward of the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference, or COP 28, which is able to happen from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai.