China Commission Chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom for visiting China, emphasizing that it demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding China's repressive actions in regards to human rights and U.S. national security.

According to AP News, Gov. Newsom's trip to China to visit with Xi Jinping was a surprise. Newsom spent a week in China where he said he was there for "renewing our friendship and reengaging (on) foundational and fundamental issues that will determine our collective faith in the future." His main intention of the trip was to discuss climate change, but Newsom also discussed the fentanyl epidemic and China's role in the transnational production and trade of chemicals.

According to a press release on Oct. 30, Smith, chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee, said, "Governor Newsom’s trip to China was an excursion based on a naive misunderstanding of China’s repression and ill intentions that will have long-term negative ramifications for American security interests and the brave human rights and democracy advocates struggling for freedom in China."

Smith called Newsom a "propaganda tool," who failed to reach any sort of agreement or conclusion on human rights issues. Smith also mentioned the Gov.'s constituent David Lin who is a pastor from Orange County and has been detained in China since 2006, Politico reported.

Fox News reported a viral clip of Newsom falling down while playing basketball in China with kids. Many on X, formerly known as Twitter, questioned what Newson was doing there in the first place amid tense US-China relations.

China Commission Chair Chris Smith disapproves of Governor Gavin Newsom's recent trip to China.