Newsom says California can learn a lot from China

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Golden State can learn a lot from China, on a phone call with local news outlets earlier this week after his weeklong tour to the world's second-largest economy.

On the phone call Tuesday to debrief his trip to China last week, Newsom said that things have changed dramatically since he first visited nearly two decades ago as mayor of San Francisco, according to a report from CalMatters, a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization based in the state, on Wednesday.

The governor said that during many exchanges with Chinese companies and officials, he and his team were asking more questions than having questions asked of them.

"What is remarkable is the scale and scope of what you're seeing in China," Newsom said. "The export of ideas is shifting a bit now."

He recalled that when his delegation toured a wind turbine factory in China's Jiangsu province last week, the owner of the facility showed him a video of the famous wind farm in Livermore's Altamont Pass in Northern California, one of the earliest wind farms in the United States.

The Chinese businessman said it was the Altamont Pass wind farm that had inspired him to get into the turbine business, Newsom said, adding that the story illustrated California's global leadership on renewable energy and how decades of partnership with China to tackle climate change had paid off with concrete progress.

Moreover, the report said, the inspiration seemed to be flowing the other direction these days, as "China had leaped ahead of the world in areas such as offshore wind energy and electric vehicle adoption that are critical to California hitting its ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades."

In a press release on Monday, Newsom's office said his trip prioritized three goals -- advancing climate action and cooperation, promoting economic development and tourism, and strengthening cultural ties.

On his trip, California signed five Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with China's National Development and Reform Commission, the provinces of Guangdong and Jiangsu, and the municipalities of Beijing and Shanghai, according to the release.

"These MOUs advance California and China's work on climate policy and help set the stage for national discussions and partnerships," the release read.

In addition to offshore wind and electric vehicles, Newsom said he looked forward to continuing to learn about China's progress on regenerative and sustainable agriculture, endangered species protection and wetlands preservation. These will be crucial as California seeks to conserve at least 30 percent of its land and coastal waters by 2030, part of an international pact to preserve biodiversity.

Newsom pledged that the Golden State would continue its efforts to enhance cooperation with China to resolve the challenges from climate change.

"California can't solve its climate crisis alone. It needs partners. And as I said, the United States can't either, without the partnership of China and the globe," he said.