Governor Newsom’s 1-week trip to Hong Kong and China draws criticism from human rights groups and both parties

(San Francisco) Governor Gavin Newsom began his one-week visit on October 23 to Hong Kong and China. But his trip has drawn criticism from human rights groups and members of both parties in Congress.

In his weeklong trip to China, Newsom first stopped at Hong Kong. Then he arrived in Shenzhen and Guangdong Province. He will visit Beijing and Jiangsu. Shanghai will be his last stop before returning to California.

"The visit comes ahead of the pivotal APEC Summit in San Francisco this November, and builds on a long history of partnership between California and China, with a strong bilateral foundation built by Governors Schwarzenneger and Brown and the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, as well as the Governor when he served as Mayor of San Francisco," Newsom's Office announced in a statement.

"Today, a significant percentage of Californians can trace their roots to China and we are proud to be home to the largest group of Chinese Americans – 32% of Chinese immigrants to the United States live in California. California seeks healthy economic competition with China, especially as we work together to transition to low-carbon economies," Newsom said.

At his first stop in Hong Kong, Newsom participated in a conversation with the leadership at the University of Hong Kong. Newsom said the conversation focused on shared efforts to combat climate change while fostering strong economic growth.

However, over 60 groups of Hong Kongers, Chinese, Taiwanese, Tibetans, Uyghurs issued a joint statement to be critical of Newsom's trip to Hong Kong and China.

“We are deeply disappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to explicitly turn away from engaging on critical human rights issues... " the joint statement said. "As the first high-profile U.S. official to visit Hong Kong since the National Security Law (N.S.L.), Governor Newsom’s poor messaging sets a problematic tone for future diplomatic engagement."

Governor Newsom’s Office said, "The Governor’s message in China will be simple: the world’s fate depends on climate action in California and China."

“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,” Newsom said. “Our decades-long work together proves what we can accomplish together – cleaning the air, accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, protecting people from extreme weather and conserving lands and oceans.”

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), co-chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China, said publicly to the media that Newsom should "speak very clearly against the repression of the Hong Kong people".