California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is on a weeklong trip to China, made a stop on the afternoon of Oct. 27 at Peking University (PKU), where he joined PKU teachers and students to discuss issues such as education and climate change and highlight the significance of people-to-people exchanges.

PKU Council Chair Hao Ping and President Gong Qihuang welcomed the governor. Ning Qi, Vice Council Chair and Vice President of PKU, Florence Fang, Chairwoman of the Florence Fang Family Foundation, an honorary trustee of PKU and a board director of Peking University Education Foundation (USA), and Lynn Zhao, President of Peking University Education Foundation (USA), attended the event.

Governor Newsom appreciated the cordial reception by Peking University in his meeting with School leaders and stressed that California laid great emphasis on its cooperation with China. He was happy to see the long-time exchanges and cooperation between Peking University and California’s higher education institutions, the governor said, adding that he would continue to facilitate exchanges between California’s institutions and Peking University and strengthen U.S.-China cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

The discussion session

During his stay at Peking University, Governor Newsom joined a group of PKU professors and students in a discussion session. Governor Newsom engaged in in-depth discussions with PKU professors and students on carbon emissions, energy transition, and U.S.-China cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

On issues of common concern, especially climate change, the governor believed cooperation was the way out. “We have to address the issue (of climate change), and so that’s the big part of this trip,” the governor concluded, highlighting the importance of conversations on climate change, which the governor believed called for “changing the way we produce and consume energy and finding ways to build partnerships and capacity together.”