In a recent revelation, it has been discovered that a progressive grantmaking organization, known for its support of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked green energy initiatives, funded California Governor Gavin Newsom's climate-centric trip to China in 2023.
The Washington Free Beacon's review of records indicates that the Hewlett Foundation, at Newsom's behest, footed the $300,000 bill for the California delegation's travel expenses. This was the only third-party payment Newsom sought to finance the trip.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the Hewlett Foundation's most significant beneficiary is Energy Foundation China (EFC), a Beijing-based climate nonprofit with ties to the CCP. This organization has faced accusations of pushing energy policies that favor Chinese strategic interests in America.
Over the past decade, the Hewlett Foundation has funneled at least $112 million to EFC, a staggering amount that overshadows the funding it has provided to most of its other grant recipients. This substantial financial support has earned the foundation the title of a "key funder" of EFC.
EFC, whose staff is primarily composed of former CCP officials, has been the target of numerous congressional and watchdog investigations in recent years. Critics argue that the group promotes Chinese interests by supporting causes that aim to eliminate fossil fuels and advocate for green energy alternatives.
While the United States leads the world in oil and gas production, China holds a commanding position in the global green energy supply chains.
The Hewlett Foundation's grant recipients also include the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Rocky Mountain Institute, both of which have collaborated with the Chinese government on their green energy projects in China. In 2023, the foundation donated $800,000 to the Peking University Education Foundation (PKUEF), a fund that channels millions of dollars annually to Peking University, a state-run academic institution in Beijing.
Between 2021 and 2023, the foundation contributed another $3.6 million to the University of California, Berkeley's California-China Climate Institute (CCCI), making it one of the institute's primary funders. The CCCI was established in 2019 by former California Governor Jerry Brown in collaboration with Xie Zhenhua, the Chinese government's climate czar, and the state-run Tsinghua University.
These revelations cast a new light on Newsom's 2023 trip to China and raise questions about whether the Hewlett Foundation or the entities it funds had any influence over Newsom's activities during the trip. For instance, Newsom participated in the Great Wall Climate Dialogue, a climate symposium supported by EFC, during the trip. He was photographed with EFC CEO Ji Zou, a former high-ranking Chinese climate official who played a role in negotiating the 2015 Paris Agreement, at a reception afterwards.
The symposium was hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an organization that is part of the CCP's international influence and intelligence apparatus, as per a 2022 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The following day, Newsom visited Peking University, where he delivered a speech advocating for the United States and China to collaborate on climate issues and change "the way we produce and consume energy."
The Hewlett-backed CCCI claimed responsibility for planning and supporting Newsom's entire trip. The institute facilitated several friendly climate agreements that Newsom signed with Chinese government agencies and supported Newsom's meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping. It remains unclear whether the Hewlett Foundation assisted in coordinating Newsom's visits to the Great Wall Climate Dialogue or Peking University. However, it is evident that groups funded by the Hewlett Foundation were granted special access to Newsom during the trip and had the opportunity to coordinate his itinerary.
Newsom also endorsed an electric vehicle (EV) manufactured by a Chinese automaker as a "preview of things to come" during the trip. The company that produces the EV, BYD, receives substantial subsidies from the Chinese government and has contracts with China's military.
In response to these revelations, Newsom spokesman Izzy Gardon downplayed the funding for Newsom's China trip and stated that the arrangement was designed to ensure California taxpayers do not bear the cost of the governor's international travel. The Hewlett Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.
The disclosure that Newsom's trip was funded by the same source as EFC and other CCP-linked energy initiatives comes on the heels of a Senate hearing held to investigate, in part, EFC's activities in America. "This is not about climate. It's about global energy dominance and control," said Sen. Ted Cruz during the hearing. Cruz highlighted a Free Beacon report showing that EFC employs numerous ex-CCP officials and channels millions of dollars into American green energy advocacy efforts.
Login