California Governor Seeks to Increase Ties with China

California Governor Jerry Brown wants to increase partnerships between his state and China. The governor traveled to China recently to seek Chinese investment in things like high-speed railways, renewable energy and electric vehicles. He spole at China's Tsinghua University. The governor called for a parnership between the US and China to develop technologies to reduce greenhouse gases. Governor Brown met with Prime Minister Li Keqiang and China's minister of environmental protection, Zho Shenxian. Mr. Brown and Mr. Zhou signed a nonbinding agreement to share information about policies to reduce pollution. Pollution is a leading concern in Beijing, where officials advise people to stay indoors when air pollution levels are at their highest. California's biggest city, Los Angeles, has successfully reduced the problem with smog that the city had for years. Its efforts included improving its vehicle emission standards. The state also offers special incentives, or rewards, for clean energy polices. Last year, California held its first sale of carbon credits under the state's greenhouse gas reduction law. The law requires big polluting industries to buy credits to release carbon dioxide, methane and related gases. Governor Brwon also hopes to create 20,000 megawatts of renewable electricity by 2020. California-based environmental scientists and representatives form environmenttal consulting firms also attended Governor Brown's speech in Be. They say rising air pollution levels in China make it a good market for technologies that help to reduce the problem.