Now that California Governor Gavin Newsom has completed the pesky business of running his state, he is off on yet another potential presidential campaign push to promote his climate agenda. This time, Newsom has set his sights beyond U.S. borders.
Newsom Heads East
Next week, Governor Newsom will head to China, according to a statement from his office on Thursday. He intends to discuss climate cooperation, promote bilateral economic development and tourism, and encourage cultural exchanges during his visit, which includes stops in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and the provinces of Jiangsu and Guangdong, the statement said.
Newsom stated, “California and China hold the keys to solving the climate crisis. As two of the world’s largest economies, our partnership is essential to delivering climate action for our communities and beyond.”
Bringing California to China Undermines National Sovereignty
Both Democrats and Republicans alike are highly concerned about economic – and other –partnerships with China. Newsom’s visit undermines a unified federal response to what most consider a threat to U.S. sovereignty.
The Founding Fathers created the Federalist system to help our country live in relative peace amongst factions of differing ideas and opinions. It remains to be seen how that will continue to hold up in the coming years. State and local politics was to be the dominant force for democratic solutions within communities.
One of the major mandates of the federal government was to establish national sovereignty and secure its borders.
Having states act as independent diplomatic actors undermines national strength in the pursuit of a cohesive foreign relations strategy.
Allowing one state to undercut federal authority can be dangerous to the solidarity of a country, something that is already fragile in the United States.
This is exactly the type of behavior Newsom condones. During the presidency of Donald Trump, who pulled the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement and all but shut down climate talks, leaders in California continued to meet with Chinese counterparts, including climate envoy Xie Zhenhua.
Regardless of how Newsom felt about Trump’s decision, it was Trump’s decision to make as the elected president, not Newsom’s. It establishes a subterfuge against democracy when a president’s national goals are rendered ineffective by individual state actors.
China’s False Promises
Not to mention the fact that the PRC, led by Xi Jinping, has absolutely no intention to make good on any advancements in climate goals.
The real benefit to China of climate change policies comes in the form of the raw materials needed to power them. China is responsible for mining a large portion of the world’s cobalt, an essential ingredient in electric batteries as well as other components necessary for solar panels.
China is the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, far surpassing the United States, and has no intention of keeping pace with U.S. efforts to achieve net zero, an inherently flawed promise. Last year, Xi approved the construction of dozens of coal plants.
At the tail end of John Kerry’s role in the administration, the climate czar’s visit to China this past summer, Xi commented that China would pursue its commitments “unswervingly,” but the pace of such efforts “should and must be” determined without outside interference, Xi said. Translation: we don’t give a hoot what the U.S. wants. We’ll continue to pollute and use slave labor to advance our economic goals and establish commercial dominance.
No matter how slick Newsom thinks he and his hair are, he is playing right into the hands of the CCP in disintegrating the strength of the United States on the global stage.
We shouldn’t be surprised. That’s what globalist elites do.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor and opinion writer for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics, and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
