California governor warns against trade war with China

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown is urging greater cooperation with China to resolve a trade dispute, while taking an apparent swipe at President Donald Trump.

The Democrat says a trade war between the world’s two largest economies would be “stupid.”

Speaking Thursday at the annual California-China Business Summit in Beverly Hills, Brown says the two countries need to rise above the conflict and “figure out how to make it work.”

The governor spoke as Chinese and U.S. officials met face-to-face in Beijing in an attempt to resolve a dispute that has taken the two countries the closest they’ve ever come to a trade war.

In a barely veiled dig at Trump, Brown says the two countries have great future potential as trade partners but “all you need is a great leader.”