California Governor Gavin Newsom's trip to China, which is aimed at finding common ground on climate change and other issues, has come under fire from human rights activists who say he is helping Beijing sweep human rights violations under the rug.
The governor's weeklong visit comes amid acrimonious relations between Washington and Beijing on a multitude of fronts, including trade, tech, human rights, Taiwan, and military tensions in the South China Sea. Newsom has said the purpose of the trip is to bridge the divide between the world's two biggest polluters by talking about green energy as well as economic development, tourism, and cultural exchanges.
Newsom's administration has said he will steer clear of controversial topics such as the human rights situation in Xinjiang, where China is accused of forced labor and interning some 1 million Uyghur Muslims in camps. China has said these issues are its "red lines," which must be respected if Beijing is to cooperate on other challenges.
Newsweek reached out to Newsom's press office for comment.
Newsom garnered praise from Chinese state-run media for his "sincere and warm" visit, but activists say he has subordinated human rights unnecessarily.
Human Rights Watch acting China Director Maya Wang told Newsweek that by framing climate and human rights as a trade-off, the governor is abetting the Chinese government's efforts to marginalize human rights.
Previously asked about these concerns, Newsom had said: "We can do many things at once."
Wang said: "Human rights and climate change are interconnected. Climate change results in human rights harms; being able to exercise basic rights like having freedoms of expression and assembly are also critical for citizens to push governments to effectively address climate change."
Ahead of Newsom's trip, more than 50 activist groups signed a joint statement criticizing Newsom's "decision to explicitly turn away from engaging on critical human rights issues."
They urged Newsom to use his position to call for the release of the 1,672 political prisoners in Hong Kong and demanded he not meet with officials sanctioned by Washington for their alleged complicity in the crackdown on that city's political freedoms since 2019.
Arriving in China on Monday after a one-day stop in Israel, Newsom kicked off his trip by attending a "fireside chat" at Hong Kong University. The governor lauded Hong Kong for being a leader in combatting climate change and pointed out that he had signed legislation this month requiring the same of large corporations in California.
Newsom is currently in the city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong. He is also scheduled to travel to Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu.
Correction 10/25/23, 05:00 a.m. ET. This article was updated to correct the spelling of Maya Wang's name.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
