UNEXPECTEDLY: California governor visits China and says his state will always be a partner on climate change.

The governor of California opened a weeklong trip to China on Monday with an assurance that his state will always be a partner on climate issues no matter how the U.S. presidential election turns out next year.

Considering its long tradition of Potemkin environmentalism, California taking its climate change cues from the CCP would be a definite step in the right direction for the now beleaguered former golden state: China’s new coal power spree continues as more provinces jump on the bandwagon.