California politician seeks new economic ties

After taking a stroll in downtown Beijing, John Chiang was impressed with the long lines of colorful shared bicycles he saw shining in the summer sun.

Chiang, a candidate for governor of California, is in China on a trip with elected officials and entrepreneurs from the US state to build relations and seek cooperation opportunities.

"This morning we took a 3-mile (4.8 km) walk ... and saw the bicycles," he said. "Some US cities have started to work on that. We like the idea. We'll see which business models will work."