Tim Walz and China
Some observers have raised concerns that Kamala Harris selected a VP with close ties to China. Walz, the leftist governor of Minnesota, has visited China many times, honeymooned there, and have strong connections in the ruling communist party. China is the U.S. main adversary, is undemocratic, authoritarian and an overall rough regime. Walz taught in southern China as a post-grad in his twenties. And later, as a high school teacher in Nebraska and Minnesota, he led students on field trips to the country from 1994 to 2005. Walz regularly hosted trips to China for his students. Republicans have pointed to these trips as evidence that Walz is soft on Beijing, and even a potential threat to national security.
Tim Walz led the students on a trip that exposed them to vastly different parts of China, from the bustling streets of Hong Kong to the hills of rural southern China. The final stop of the trips was Beijing. China’s sprawling capital was known for its historic landmarks, such as the Forbidden City, nestled within modern skyscrapers. In a recent controversy, Walz has been criticized for lying, for falsely saying he was in Hong Kong when the 1989 massacre happened, but in reality, he was not in China until later that summer. What honorable man would lie about something like that?
As China is not a free country, it is not possible to travel around in the country as you please. In order for Walz to travel around China, permits from the ruling communist party had to be issued. Any meetings or contacts with Chinese officials had to be approved. Why would the U.S. Department of Homeland Security be so concerned about Tim Walz’s China ties that his name repeatedly comes up in internal communications and classified documents? Whistleblowers have reveled serious concerns among DHS personnel regarding the long-standing connection between the Chinese communist party and Walz.
Is it a problem for an American politician to have close ties to a dictatorship or to an authoritarian anti-American regime? To conduct paid trips, to arrange joint ventures, to give lectures there or to get academic appointments. From China’s perspective, the process is called elite capture, and the goal is to bring foreigners of influence into China’s powerful orbit. This will increase China’s influence abroad and improve China’s image by bringing over foreigners on guided propaganda tours and keep them close to the Chinese ideals. Walz has embraced the country, the culture, speaks Mandarin and seems to admire the Chinese communist party and what is has done for its citizens.
Despite the fact that China regards the U.S. as its main enemy, Walz continues to argue that China is not our adversary. Walz’s history presents a case study in the Chinese Communist Party’s subnational influence campaigns. The Chinese phrase “big help with a little bad mouth” describes an influence target such as Walz who might talk tough on human rights but who protects the CCP’s reputation and makes critical concessions on economics and defense.
Walz’s affection for communist China led to his establishment of a joint venture travel company that took high school students to the country. The Chinese government often paid a large part of the cost for Walz’s trips. He racked up extensive contacts during his 30 trips to China and even received government favors during his honeymoon there in 1994.
According to President Joe Biden’s director of national intelligence, the CCP targets young state, local, and business officials early in their careers to develop ties that may later prove useful. This influence strategy, summarized as using the local to surround the center, allows Beijing to build loyal advocates across the U.S. to leverage against federal policymakers.
When Walz’s time came, he advocated on behalf of Beijing’s agenda. In 2019, when then-President Donald Trump cracked down on China’s economic coercion, the Minnesota governor called upon Trump to end the trade war with China. He did not reciprocally call upon China to end the decades of subsidies, intellectual property theft, and targeting of American defense companies to which Trump was responding.
Moreover, questions remain unanswered about whether Walz complied with U.S. intelligence security standards during his 30 trips to China as a National Guardsman with an active security clearance. Walz was also curiously listed as a headliner at a Minnesota event with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a group that “has sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote China’s global agenda,” according to the State Department.
Should Harris win and then something happen to her, Walz would become the U.S. president. It would be unprecedented to have a president with such close ties to an undemocratic U.S. adversary. China cannot be trusted and is corrupt to the core. Can Walz be trusted? Most likely not.