In China, A California Welcome at the U.S. Embassy
BEIJING – In China’s capital city of Beijing, Governor Gavin Newsom addressed fellow Californians and other Americans working in the U.S. Embassy in China to thank them for their service, met with China’s top climate envoy to discuss California-China climate cooperation, toured a school with a successful farm-to-school program, and met with students at Peking University to highlight the importance of people-to-people cultural exchange.
Following a tour of the iconic Forbidden City, the Governor kicked off his day at the U.S. Embassy where he participated in a forum with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns and Embassy staff. Governor Newsom became the first Governor of any U.S. state to visit the Embassy since the global pandemic and thanked the diplomatic corps for serving their country through an incredibly challenging time. Later in the day, the Governor spent additional time with Californians stationed throughout China at a reception hosted by Ambassador Burns.
Later, the Governor met Minister Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Envoy on Climate Change. Over lunch, the two discussed ways to build on California’s 15-year climate partnership with China, which has already led to important progress in the fight against pollution and climate change.
Governor Newsom’s afternoon stops — at a public school and a university — were centered around the next generation.
Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom visited the Beijing Yuying School – a public school in China’s capital city – to tour the school’s outdoor learning spaces, on-campus gardens, as well as their agricultural science and farm-to-school programs. The First Partner has championed the California Farm to School program through her California for ALL Kids initiative since 2019. Through Farm to School, California is connecting local school districts to local farms so schools can procure fresh and nutrient-dense ingredients for student meals and improve student health. Farm to School programs also bolster economies by keeping local dollars in the local community and improving climate impacts by incentivizing Farm to School farmers to employ regenerative and climate smart agriculture practices.
Governor Newsom traveled to Peking University and, after meeting with University President Gong Qihuang, met with students and faculty to discuss how vital people-to-people exchange is between California and China. This follows the Governor’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and high-level Chinese officials earlier this week where he also expressed his desire for increased efforts around cultural exchange, especially as California continues to combat anti-Asian hate that has been on the rise nationally.
