On Aug 30, the California State Legislature passed a bill that actively supports trade with the People’s Republic of China.

California's Legislature will urge the President and Congress of the United States to support actions that further strengthen economic links between the United States, including California, and China.

The bill, Assembly Joint Resolution No. 44, which was introduced by Assembly member Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, was passed with a vote of 75-1 with four abstentions.

Under the bill, California is one of China's most important partners in the United States, with approximately two million Chinese and Chinese Americans living in California. There are more than 20 daily flights between California and major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Qingdao, and more than 20 paired sister cities between California and China.

China is the fifth largest source of tourism in the United States, with almost 1.5 million Chinese tourists visiting California in 2016. The Chinese government attaches great importance to friendly and cooperative relations with California.

California and China are both actively committed to green development and have been playing decisive roles in addressing climate change.

In 2013, California became the first state to establish trade promotion agreements with individual Chinese provinces. According to statistics published by the Rhodium Group, Chinese investment in the U.S. amounted to $29.4 billion in 2017, $4.7 billion of which was invested in California, with the state doing more business with China than any other.

In 2017, the total trade volume between California and China was $175.6 billion, accounting for 27.6 percent of U.S. trade with China. Furthermore, California has accounted for 21.5 percent of Chinese investment in the U.S. since 2000.

With an increase of about 14.5 percent annually, Californian exports to China amounted to $16.43 billion in 2017, accounting for 12.6 percent of all U.S. exports to China. Chinese imports to California increased at a rate of about 10.5 percent annually, and amounted to $159.2 billion in 2017, approximately 36.1 percent of total U.S. imports from China.

The Assembly and Senate of the State of California decided that the Legislature should actively support continued coordination and collaboration between California and China to increase mutually beneficial economic opportunities and strengthen the substantial, bilateral relationship in the areas of people-to-people exchange, trade, climate change, education, tourism, technology, innovation, and green development.

The Legislature urges the President and the Congress of the U.S. to support existing legislation and to enact new legislation to further strengthen economic links between the United States, including California, and China.