California’s Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom met with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.
The governor has been in China this week on a visit billed as focused on “climate change,” an issue the Chinese regime has little interest in.
The subject is in line with California’s own radical green agenda policies.
Newsom said his meeting with Xi focused on the “climate crisis” as well as fentanyl exports, most of which flood into America from Chinese chemical companies.
Newsom described the fentanyl conversation as “remarkably positive.”
“The president was rather explicit about the desire to be even more specific in terms of what is needed, in terms of calling out and identifying where these chemicals are going,” Newsom told reporters after the meeting.
Newsom’s trip should pave the way for a meeting between Democrat President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco next month in Newsom’s hometown.
Newsom said he encouraged Xi to attend the summit and that “we look forward to his response.”
China has yet to confirm that Xi had a “positive” conversation about “climate change,” however.
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Meanwhile, several California lawmakers came out swinging after Newsom promoted a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker during his diplomatic visit to China, as Fox Business reported.
On Tuesday, Newsom traveled to Shenzhen, China, and test-drove a hybrid vehicle manufactured by BYD Company, a massive Chinese manufacturing corporation and automaker.
According to a 2019 report published by the Alliance for American Manufacturing, BYD boasts direct ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s industrial policy apparatus.
The company has received billions of dollars in grants and subsidies from the Chinese government.
Newsom’s visit to Shenzhen came on the second day of his weeklong trip to China.
He first traveled to Hong Kong and is set to travel to Beijing, Jiangsu, and Shanghai.
The clip of Newsom sparked backlash from California Republicans and was mocked on social media.
“Governor Newsom ought to know that China isn’t a trusted partner and shouldn’t be an example for us to follow,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Fox.
“Endorsing Beijing manufacturing – so much of which is stolen from American innovators – may advance partisan climate politics, but it won’t do anything to deliver real prosperity to Californians suffering under the failed policies of Sacramento and the record inflation of Bidenomics.”
“Governor Newsom is more interested in promoting Chinese companies than American,” Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) added in a statement.
“Ultimately, anything produced in China will be dirtier and produced with potential slave labor.”
“To promote China’s polluting industry while destroying California jobs and making everything more expensive is a textbook example of Democrat priorities,” LaMalfa continued.
“A bit of a tip to him — his shadow Presidential campaign should be focused on supporting American exceptionalism, not pandering to the Chinese Communist Party.”
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