(File photo)

California Governor Jerry Brown reiterated his determination to introduce high-speed rail infrastructure in the state during his latest visit to China.

California aims to put 4 to 5 million electric cars on its roads by 2030, and, according to Brown, “we aren’t going to get there until Chinese business people, Chinese government leaders make it a priority to develop batteries and electric cars. And we will, too.” Brown made the remarks at a conference in Nanjing on June 5, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The governor is currently on a week-long trip to China to attend an international summit on clean energy.

“California and the world will need the cost of batteries and electric vehicles to come down,” said Yunshi Wang, director of the China Center for Energy and Transportation at the University of California Davis. “China is a leader in this area,” Wang was quoted as saying.

As early as 2013, during Brown’s first trip to China, the governor expressed his hope for Chinese investment to assist in building bullet trains, which is California’s biggest public project. Upon completion, trains are expected to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours.

(Photo/Xinhua)

“The high-speed rail in California is under construction,” Brown said on his latest high-speed rail trip from Nanjing to Beijing. “We have money and we are spending. And we will continue to do so.”

On June 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the visiting governor in Beijing. Xi called on California to play a bigger role in promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States. Xi said he hoped California could continue to promote bilateral exchanges between localities and contribute more to China-U.S. cooperation in areas including technology, innovation and green development, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Brown said California was willing to join the Belt and Road Initiative, and was looking forward to a stronger cooperative relationship with China in trade, investment, clean technology and environmental protection.