Global Connections and U.S. Prosperity: California Leads the Way

g.W. Berry smart, stockton, ca

ith the war in i srael adding to concerns about the conflict in Ukraine, terrorism, drug trafficking and a slowing global economy, it is not surprising that nationalism, hints of our old isolationism, and glaring cases of anti-Semitism and islamophobia are growing issues.

Yet while fears of worldly perils seem natural, the exaggerated rhetoric, animosity filled slogans, and self-righteous posturing mainly reflect ignorance, prejudice, and hatred. The world comes off scariest for those who know least about it and even resist learning. Folks who didn’t know that San Francisco was serving (Nov. 12-17) as the host of the Summit meeting for the 21 nations of the Asia and Pacific Economic Conference (APEC) until the demonstrations and traffic jams recently complicated their lives were certainly not without provocation for damning the politicians who organized the event. Yet again, their frustration and failure to appreciate or even consider the benefits the meeting will probably provide our community and country will warp and discolor their attitudes about our foreign relations.

t he APEC s ummit in s an Francisco brought together about 3,000 international visitors with about 5,000 U.S. participants for meetings about business, science and cli- mate, education, and government. It enabled President biden to have extensive personal meetings with his counterparts, including Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Lopez obrador of Mexico – our two largest trade partners, and other leading countries. Together these 21 nations account for over forty percent of the world’s people, 62 percent of the global GDP, and half of world trade. This latter characteristic is one of the reasons the Asia-Pacific basin is so important. It already accounts for 60 percent of U.S. exports and has facilitated a twenty-five percent increase in pre-Pandemic trade – providing a major contribution to the u.s. led global economic recovery since 2020. agreements launching the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity and the revival of the u.s. hemispheric effort in support of democracy which the trump administration had dropped. As the global region that was hardest hit in both human lives and economic costs by the Pandemic, the economic boost that the u s. has provided has been especially important.

WPresident biden’s meetings also resulted immediately in major new breakthroughs in controlling the flow of deadly fentanyl to the Unites States, improved military communications with China, and Chinese recognition of the importance of the two countries as both competitors and leaders of the global economy. t he success of the biden administration in convincing our APEC partners to select san Francisco for this important gathering of the Asia-Pacific community now matches its prowess in bringing the ninth summit of the Americas in June 2022 to Los Angeles, the home of the largest Hispanic/Latino community in our country.

Additionally, the topics and timeliness of the summit helped motivate local and civic leaders from throughout the region and resulted in the organization of a summit of cities of the Americas that was held in Denver in April. of course the global role for California that has been so substantially boosted by the biden administration is much more complex and far less visible than the international conferences which have been held here. i ndeed, one of the most important aspects of California’s global involvement has been the way that initiatives by the state have led our national engagements. Just before President biden’s productive meeting with Xi Jinping in San Francisco, Governor Gavin Newsom had met with Xi in beijing as part of his trip to Hong Kong and China to boost climate and economic cooperation between China and California.

Besides the successful groundwork for the presidential conclave, Newsom’s trip had also punctuated the importance of climate cooperation between the two nations which account for 42 percent of global greenhouse gases. Yet Chinese adoption of increasingly successful air pollution programs in 40 cities based on those pioneered by California are one of the reasons the encounter proved so useful. t he tradition of an enhanced relationship between California and China dates back to Governor schwarzenegger and was continued on a bipartisan t hat meeting was accompanied by hemispheric gatherings of civic, youth and business leaders from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Despite divisions in the region, the U.S. pragmatic approach that focused on urgent issues, namely migration, public health and recovery from the Pandemic, and the environmental crisis turned out to be the first major international gathering since the start of the Pandemic. t he results of the conference centered on practical continued on next page

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California Leads the Way from the previous page basis by Governor brown. t hey realized that relations with China were fundamental for an economy that provides 10 percent of U.S. exports and in turn has attracted Foreign Direct i nvestment in our state which accounts for 635,532 high paying jobs. Of course the trip also highlighted the extent to which climate action remains at the forefront of relations in China, as Mark Baldassare pointed out in a report by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on how “California Is a Model for Climate Action, When International Efforts Fall Short.” (July 20, 2023) t his is not the place for a comprehensive review of California’s global connections, but the extent and value of the role the state has played for the u.s. is sometimes startling even for an experienced observer like this author.

Citing research by the Public Policy i nstitute of California, he explains that the two thirds of Californians that expressed the view that California should take a direct role on climate in 2017 when President Trump cancelled u s. participation in the Paris Agreement has now grown to three quarters of our population, including 91 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of independents and even 34 percent of republicans.

At the November 4 meeting of the Foreign service Association of northern California in Sacramento, we learned from Major General David S. Baldwin, the former Adjutant General of the California National Guard, that California has played a major role in the War in Ukraine and has developed a very close but largely unrecognized relationship with that country. The reason is that in the early 1990s after the fall of Communism and independence of Ukraine, the U.S. government assigned the California National Guard with the task of helping modernize the Ukrainian Army and assist the country in its interest of closer relations with nAto countries and use of its weapons and operational systems.

As a result of this assignment, literally thousands of Californians had participated in scores of trips to Ukraine over a nearly 20 year period of training and cooperation missions even before the Russian attack in 2014. At that time, the intensity of the program was increased further until the invasion in 2021. Unquestionably, in General Baldwin’s view, one of the main reasons that Ukrainian armed forces have done so well in defending their country against the russians is because of this cooperation. Since his retirement, he continues to work with Ukraine and strongly believes that the spirit of brotherhood and cooperation with California will remain a significant factor in our bilateral relations. He is also convinced that the heroic performance of Ukraine will continue and provide the basis for their eventual victory and even closer relations between our countries. destacó la importancia de la cooperación climática entre las dos naciones que representan el 42 por ciento mundial de gases de efectoinvernadero. Sin embargo, la adopción china de programas, cada vez más exitosos en paliar la contaminación del aire —basados en los iniciados por California— y ya vigente en 40 ciudades, es una de las razones por las que el encuentro resultó tan útil.

We may be more accustomed to hearing about California’s global leadership in higher education, exciting new technologies, thrilling movies and entertainment, sports and natural wonders, even agriculture and new fads in communications and popular consumption. Yet watching a little closer and choosing sources for their reliability and professionalism will show how California also leads as a bulwark for training and defense of freedom and democracy, for leading the way in the development of clean energy and environmental responsibility, and providing a welcoming hand and productive atmosphere for global cooperation.

La tradición de una mejorada relación entre California y China se remonta al gobernador Schwarzenegger —la que fue continuada de forma bipartidista por el gobernador brown. se dieron cuenta de que las relaciones con China eran fundamentales para una economía que proporciona el 10 por ciento de las exportaciones estadounidenses y, a su vez, ha atraído inversión extranjera directa en nuestro estado, que representa 635 532 empleos bien remunerados. Por supuesto, el viaje también puso de relieve hasta qué punto la acción climática sigue estando a la vanguardia de las relaciones en China, como señaló Mark baldassare en un informe del Carnegie Endowment for i nternational Peace sobre cómo “California es un Modelo para la Acción Climática, Cuando los Esfuerzos Internacionales No Son Suficientes.” (20 Julio, 2023)

Citando una investigación del i nstituto de Políticas Públicas de California, explica que los dos tercios de californianos que en el 2017 expresaron la opinión de que California debía asumir un papel directo en el clima —cuando el presidente trump canceló la participación de Estados Unidos en el Acuerdo de París— ahora han aumentado a tres cuartos de nuestra población. Esto último incluye el 91 por ciento de los demócratas, el 71 por ciento de los independientes e incluso el 34 por ciento de los republicanos. andy Porras, sacramento, ca

Este no es el foro para una revisión integral de las conexiones globales de California —pero el alcance y el valor del papel que el Estado ha desempeñado para Estados Unidos, resulta a veces sorprendente, incluso para un observador experimentado como este autor. En la reunión del 4 de noviembre de la Asociación del servicio Exterior del norte de California en Sacramento, supimos por el General de División David S. Baldwin, ex General-Ayudante de la Guardia Nacional de California, que California ha desempeñado un importante papel en la guerra en ucrania y ha desarrolló una relación muy estrecha aunque —en gran medida— no reconocida con ese país. La razón es que a principios de la década de 1990, después de la caída del comunismo y la independencia de Ucrania, el gobierno de Estados Unidos asignó a la Guardia nacional de California la tarea de ayudar a modernizar el ejército ucraniano y ayudar al país en su interés de estrechar relaciones con los países de la otAn y utilizar de sus armas y sistemas operativos.

Como resultado de esta misión, literalmente miles de californianos habrían participado, en decenas de viajes a Ucrania, durante un período de casi 20 años de misiones de entrenamiento y cooperación —incluso antes del ataque ruso en 2014. En ese momento, la intensidad del programa se incrementó aún más debido a la invasión del 2021. Sin duda —en opinión del general Baldwin— una de las principales razones por las que las fuerzas armadas ucranianas les ha ido tan bien en la defensa de su país contra los rusos, es esta cooperación. Desde su jubilación, continúa trabajando con Ucrania y cree firmemente que el espíritu de hermandad y cooperación con California seguirá siendo un factor importante en nuestras relaciones bilaterales. también está convencido de que la heroica actuación de ucrania continuará y proporcionará la base para su eventual victoria y relaciones aún más estrechas entre nuestros países.

Quizás estemos más acostumbrados a escuchar sobre el liderazgo global de California en educación superior, fascinantes nuevas tecnologías, excitantes películas y diversiones, deportes y maravillas naturales —incluso agricultura y nuevas tendencias en comunicaciones y el consumo popular. Sin embargo, al observar un poco más de cerca —y elegir fuentes por su confiabilidad y profesionalismo— mostrará cómo California también lidera como baluarte para la capacitación y la defensa de la libertad y la democracia, por liderar el camino en el desarrollo de energía limpia y responsabilidad ambiental, y brindar una mano acogedora y productiva para la cooperación global.