California Advances Global Climate Leadership Through Expanded Partnership with China 

Furthering California’s long-standing collaboration with China on climate change, Governor Gavin Newsom today renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance ongoing cooperation on initiatives to protect the environment, reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, and promote clean energy development.

The Governor and China’s Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu signed the MOU in a virtual meeting joined by Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who serves as the Governor’s Representative for International Affairs and Trade Development, and senior climate officials from California and China.

“California is a global leader in combating the climate crisis while growing our economy, but we can’t tackle this existential challenge alone,” said Governor Newsom. “Today’s MOU deepens California’s strong climate and clean energy ties with China, bolstering our efforts to expand clean transportation, achieve carbon neutrality, and accelerate nature-based climate solutions. We’ll continue to foster meaningful collaboration with partners around the globe as we work to build a healthier, fossil fuel free future.”

The MOU outlines continued exchanges between California and China – the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases – on the implementation of emissions trading systems, expanding markets for clean transportation, including zero-emission vehicles, and reducing air pollution and short-lived climate pollutants. It also includes a new focus on strategies to achieve carbon neutrality, nature-based solutions to combat climate change and protect biodiversity, and promoting climate-resilient infrastructure investment and green finance. The MOU renews a prior version signed by Governor Brown in 2018.