California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday — after being warmly welcomed by other senior leaders.
Newsom is on a weeklong tour of China, where he will push for climate cooperation. His visit, once customary, is drawing attention after years of heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, The Associated Press reported.
“I’m here in expectation, as you suggest, of turning the page, of renewing our friendship and reengaging [on] foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future,” Newsom said Wednesday.
The California Democrat also met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, who is expected to visit Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Wang’s visit is among a series of trips by top officials from each country with the aim of relieving tensions.
In a few weeks, President Biden may also meet with Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.
Newsom said he and Xi discussed ways to “accelerate our progress on climate change in meaningful and substantive ways.” The California governor also said they spoke about fentanyl and China’s role in combatting the shipping of chemicals that make up the drug.
Xi reportedly told Newsom he hopes his visit will “enhance mutual understanding” and promote the development of relations between the U.S. and China.
In a speech at Hong Kong University on Monday, Newsom pledged cooperation on climate change regardless of the outcome of the next U.S. presidential election.
Among other meetings, Newsom met with the head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission and signed a memorandum on deepening cooperation in environmental issues, the AP reported.
Other Governors of California have visited China before, including Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democrat Jerry Brown, who created the California-China Climate Institute at the University of California, Berkley.
The Associated Press contributed.