California Governor Gavin Newsom’s photo op at a public school in Beijing, China went viral on Sunday following the release of a video showing Newsom accidentally knocking over a child during a game of pickup basketball. The Governor’s “flagrant personal foul” came during a week-long diplomatic trip to China that, much like the basketball game, has been criticized as a veiled attempt to score some easy points in his shadow campaign for president.
In a short video clip taken during the game at Beijing’s Yuying School, Newsom is seen attempting to spin the ball on his finger before making a press towards the basket, tripping over a boy playing defense in the process. Both fall to the ground, where Newsom playfully wrestles with the child and pats him on the back as they stand.
While the governor’s physical contact with the boy was criticized by some viewers as inappropriate, the encounter appeared to be good-natured, and neither was harmed by the fall.
(RELATED VIDEO: “California is a Sh!tshow”)
Newsom’s visit to the Yuying School also included “a tour of the school’s outdoor learning spaces, on-campus gardens, as well as their agricultural science and farm-to-school programs,” according to the governor’s office.
Prior to the school tour, Newsom spent a week engaging in diplomatic activities in China with a focus on addressing climate change. Despite tense relations between the United States and China, Newsom also secured a meeting with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday in order to “renew our friendship and reengage on foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future.”
Following their meeting, Newsom disclosed that he and XI had discussed solutions to the crisis of fentanyl flowing from China into the US, as well as ways to “accelerate our progress on climate in meaningful and substantive ways.”
“Despite major differences, we share our humanity – our desire to feel protected, connected, and respected is universal – and that humanity is what should drive us to work together to stop the greatest existential threat our planet has ever known,” said the Office of the California Governor. “[Governor Gavin Newsom] made it clear to Chinese leaders that California will remain a stable, strong, and reliable partner, particularly on low-carbon, green growth.”
Divorce is not an option. The only way we can solve the climate crisis is to continue our long-standing cooperation with China. As two of the world’s largest economies, the work we do together is felt in countless communities on both sides of the Pacific.
Despite major… pic.twitter.com/CSF6S1bEFr
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) October 25, 2023
Newsom also reportedly raised the issue of China possibly invading Taiwan with Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat. “I expressed my support for the One-China policy … as well as our desire not to see independence,” he said after their meeting, echoing the US policy of not recognizing Taiwan as an independent country.
Newsom’s activities in China, coupled with his one-day visit to Israel early last week, have fueled further speculation that he is engaged in a kind of clandestine campaign to replace incumbent President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president in 2024. While Newsom has denied these rumors in the past, his capacity to discuss foreign policy with America’s leading global rival and his recent policy decisions within his own state have only intensified the speculation.
Add comment