Governor Gavin Newsom traveled to China October 23, 2023 for a weeklong trip focused on promoting cooperation between California and China over climate change initiatives. During the trip, Newsom signed five memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Chinese officials and pledged that California will always cooperate with China on climate issues. “I want you to know, regardless of what happens nationally, sub-nationally, you have a partner in the state of California,” he told an audience at the University of Hong Kong.
Newsom emphasized the need for the United States and China to cooperate on emissions reduction. “We’re doing subnational work in the absence of any other leadership,” he said. “We can’t be serious about climate change without working together. We are here to make our climate ambitions clear and not let silence be the loudest sound either side hears,” Newsom said.
Newsom also argued for the “importance, the imperative of maintaining a relationship on climate with China is about the fate and future of this planet.” China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for approximately a third of all global emissions. The United States accounts for approximately 14% of global emissions, while California accounts for less than 1% of global emissions.
Promoting Subnational Climate Cooperation
During the trip, Newsom and Chinese officials signed a declaration of cooperation on subnational climate action. The declaration stated that the partnership “will accelerate the clean energy transition, including offshore wind, advanced energy storage technologies, and zero-emission vehicles; mitigate carbon emissions and sustain economic growth, including the role of carbon markets and climate finance; advance action that reduces non-CO2emissions, including methane; and build resilience to our changing climate while protecting biodiversity.”
Additionally, Newsom signed MOUs with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai.
National Development and Reform Commission: This MOU stated that California and China will work on joint activities to mitigate carbon emissions; decarbonize the power sector; exchange views on energy and economic planning documents; promote energy efficiency; increase the us of electronic vehicles; strengthen cooperation on clean energy and low-carbon development at the state and municipal levels; accelerate the deployment of offshore wind technology; accelerate the transition to clean energy technologies; and activities to build climate resilient economies.
Guangdong Province: This MOU states that California and Guangdong will work together in the areas of Air Pollution Prevention and Control; Zero Emission Vehicles / New Energy Vehicles; Climate Change Mitigation, Carbon Neutrality, and Deep Decarbonization; Climate Change Adaptation; Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity Protection; Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilization; Carbon Emissions Trading; (viii)Climate Investment and Financing; Other areas of mutual consent.
Jiangsu Province: This MOU declares that California and Jiangsu will collaborate on Energy Efficiency; Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality; Air Quality; Climate Adaptation and Mitigation; Clean Transportation; Clean Energy and Low Carbon Development; Nature-Based Climate Solutions; and the Circular Economy.
Beijing: This MOU expands cooperation between California and Beijing to include climate adaptation and broader climate mitigation strategies.
Shanghai: This MOU expands an MOU between California and Shanghai. It states that the areas of cooperation will be on Air Quality; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Clean Transportation, including Clean Ports and Green Shipping; Clean Energy; Climate Adaptation and Resilience; and Nature-Based Climate Solutions.
Newsom’s trip continued the history of California and China collaborating on climate change issues, as governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown made similar trips to China. Brown signed an MOU with China in 2013 that committed California to joint efforts to promote clean energy and reduce carbon emissions. In 2015, Brown organized the Under2 Coalition, a subnational pledge to keep temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. In 2017, after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Paris climate agreement, Brown traveled to China to discuss state-level climate action.