Arnold Schwarzenegger Watch: Trade Mission Begins

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger embraces Special Olympics athlete Wang Xiaoyu, as Maria Shriver, right, looks on during a Special Olympics ceremony in Beijing.

The San Francisco Chronicle has Schwarzenegger urges world to depend less on oil

Governor suggests China invest in California’s clean technology

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged diplomats and business leaders at a joint U.S.-China energy conference today to forge ties that will reduce the world’s dependence on oil and increase energy efficiency.

The governor said the two nations are at a critical moment in history and must find new ways to produce and consume energy “to sustain our economies and our environment.”

Schwarzenegger, on the second day of his trade mission to China, praised the Chinese for their progress toward greater energy efficiency and suggested they increase their trade relationships with California businesses that specialize in clean technologies.

The governor pulled a tiny silicon chip from his pocket, saying it was developed in Silicon Valley and manufactured in China.

“This is the most efficient solar chip in the world … a symbol of unlimited potential that we can realize,” the governor said of the chip, produced by SunPower Corp. of Sunnyvale.

The governor’s speech at the serious policy conference contrasted with the rowdy reception he received as a former world-wide film star within an hour of his arrival Monday.

In the meantime, California is abuzz regarding a $50-100 billion bond issue to repair California’s infrastructure.

Has the Governor hit on the “RIGHT” theme towards political rehabilitation?