California Governor Gavin Newsom met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in Beijing. According to Politico, Newsom said his meeting with Xi focused on climate and fentanyl exports.
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.
Watch Newsom meet President Xi below:
🚨 Gavin Newsom is meeting with Chinese President Xi..
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 25, 2023
From Politico:
Newsom’s emphasis on climate change and subnational cooperation as avenues for diplomacy between the U.S. and China may have paid off. The trip should pave the way for a meeting between 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.”
After Xi received Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June and a half-dozen senators earlier this month, his meeting with Newsom is the latest signal that he is open to talks. Blinken also announced Monday that he would host Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Washington on Thursday.
The timing of the trip has felt particularly fraught as Newsom flew in directly from meeting with war victims and leaders in Israel, to which Biden has pledged military support in its bombing of Gaza. China has advocated a ceasefire and a two-state solution.
More over at Politico:
Gov. Gavin Newsom meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping https://t.co/drcggm5bI8
— POLITICO (@politico) October 25, 2023
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