COUNCIL CHINA CLEAN ENERGY DELEGATION WITNESS TO HISTORY

The Bay Area Council’s delegation of business leaders accompanying Gov. Jerry Brown this week to Beijing, China, for a global conference on climate change were witness to history as the Governor enjoyed a rare meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and signed several key agreements on clean energy and climate change cooperation. The trip, which was led by Council CEO Jim Wunderman, took on added significance with President Trump’s decision last week to withdraw the U.S. from the landmark Paris climate change accord, a move which elevated California’s global leadership on clean energy and efforts to address climate change. Council delegates enjoyed dinner with Gov. Brown following his meeting with President Xi.

Also during the trip, the Council delegation met with U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry to discuss the important role of California’s national research labs, including Berkeley National Lab and Lawrence Livermore Lab, in advancing clean energy technology. Perry called California’s labs “crown jewels.”

The Council joined Gov. Brown as he signed an agreement establishing a new California-Beijing Clean Technology and Innovation Partnership and launching a new fund to support it. And later, our delegates attended a forum at renowned Tsinghua University with Gov. Brown and participated in a discussion with China’s lead negotiator on climate change issues. To engage in the Council’s China work, please contact Chief of Global Business Development Del Christensen.