California Governor Gavin Newsom has been meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a tour of Beijing with discussion on the climate, amongst other items, and talks on the Declaration of Enhanced Subnational Climate Action and Cooperation Between the State of California and the People’s Republic of China.

Newsom expressed his desire for continued collaboration and partnership with China – the world’s largest emitter. The Governor made clear with Chinese leaders that we must take urgent action to transition away from fossil fuels. He emphasised that California is on the frontlines of the climate crisis – from devastating flooding to historic wildfires – and that the urgency of the crisis means we should increase the climate ambition, including striving to meet our carbon neutrality goals earlier.

The talks provide a map of how California and China can continue working together to advance climate action, with Newsome stating: “Divorce is not an option. The only way we can solve the climate crisis is to continue our long-standing 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 pointed to California’s clean energy transition as a proof point that climate action spurs economic growth – repeatedly pointing out that California now has six times as many clean energy jobs as fossil fuel jobs, driving the world’s fifth largest economy. Since 2019, California has increased its battery storage resources by 757 per cent from 770MW to 6,600MW and is on track to have 8.5 GW of storage online by the end of the year.

Last year, California approved an unprecedented plan to cut air pollution, shift away from fossil fuels, and ramp up clean energy production – leading the world with a comprehensive roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. China has a goal to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

While most of the discussions centred around China and California’s climate partnership and economic ties, Governor Newsom also raised a number of other issues on human rights and China’s role in combating the transnational shipping of precursor chemicals.

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