Gavin Newsom on China

Gavin Newsom approaches relations with China by prioritizing subnational engagement, particularly in areas where California has policy leadership, such as climate change and green technology. He views the relationship as vital, noting that China is California’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $165 billion, and has made his own official trips to Beijing. During his October 2023 visit, he met with President Xi Jinping to deepen collaboration on climate action, emphasizing that sub-national entities are the vitality of the overall China-U.S. relationship. Newsom also seeks to leverage China's advancements in green tech to enhance California’s own industries and workforce, even as U.S.-China relations are strained.

However, his stance acknowledges the broader competitive and sometimes adversarial geopolitical context. Newsom has publicly framed the tension by challenging U.S. Senators who threaten to overturn California's clean vehicle standards, asking if they would "side with China or America?" This suggests a belief that overly aggressive decoupling or federal action detrimental to California's climate goals could inadvertently cede economic dominance, specifically in electric vehicles, to China. While he advocates for cooperation in specific sectors, like climate and energy, he must navigate federal policies that increasingly scrutinize cross-border interactions in technology and investment.