California is at the forefront of renewable energy and battling climate change, and China is seen as a willing partner on that journey, Governor Jerry Brown said at a celebration in San Francisco.

Hundreds gathered Tuesday night at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco to celebrate the coming Chinese New Year, which starts on Jan 27 this year. It's the second time that Brown has attended the annual reception at the Chinese consulate.

"I come here to wish the Chinese community here in California a very happy New Year, good wishes and prosperity and also reaffirm on the part of California our great interest in working with the people of China, the provinces in China and the Chinese government itself," he said at the reception hosted by Chinese Consul General Luo Linquan.

Brown told the guests that California can do a great deal with China, and the state is actively working with China on such areas as climate change, student exchange and innovation as the state reaches the point of being the fifth-largest economy in the world.

For example, 30 percent of California's electricity comes from renewable power, an effort in which China has invested tens of billions of dollars.

Brown said he expected China to play the leading role in the world to drive renewable energy over the next decade.

"Right next to that, of course, is California. We are taking the lead, whether it's carbon trade program, energy efficiency or electric cars, renewable energy, wind electricity, geothermal, we are working with China," said Brown.

"Whatever little differences we have, or whatever big differences, the fact is we inhabit one world, we got one space that we are all connected by, and whether it's weapons or diseases, or financial system or ideas, we are going to intermingle and entangle ourselves in many ways," he said.

As China-US cooperation deepens, it will benefit the peoples of both countries, Luo told guests including state and local elected officials and business leaders.

Last year, two-way investment and trade saw continuous growth. From January to October 2016, direct investment from the US to China soared 80 percent, and Chinese investment in the US increased 1.8 times, according to Luo.

China has invested in 42 states in the US and created 100,000 jobs. More than 43,000 registered Chinese students are in the US, a 13 percent increase compared with 2015. The year of 2016 also marked the China-US Tourism Year, during which an estimated 5 million tourists traveled both ways.

"2017 is an important year for China-US relations. To build such a relationship between our two countries, in the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, is both a goal and a process, both in our common interests and representing our shared responsibility to the global community," Luo said.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com