Minnesota Gorvernor Tim Walz pumps his fist as U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris applauds at Temple University's Liacouras Center, in Philadelphia, Pa., on Aug. 6.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty Images
No sooner had U.S. presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday, than users on Chinese social media began digging into his record vis-a-vis their country.
They would have done so with any candidate, particularly after Donald Trump’s own vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, repeatedly touted his tough-on-China credentials, but Mr. Walz, a Mandarin-speaking teacher who both worked and honeymooned in China, has proven an unusually rich subject.
And while Republicans and their media allies have been quick to attack Mr. Walz over his perceived fondness for China – with the right-wing New York Post accusing him of having “fawned over” the country’s Communist rulers – many Chinese observers are more skeptical.
“Being a China guy or living in China for a long time doesn’t equal being soft on China,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “These two things do not necessarily relate to each other.”
Indeed, Mr. Walz, while long touting the value of engagement and cross-cultural exchanges between the United States and China, also appears to have a genuine commitment to promoting human rights, and a fondness for the Chinese people that is often lacking among right-wing hawks in Washington, who approach the relationship from a more nationalist, great-power-competition perspective.
In a 1990 interview about his time in China, Mr. Walz spoke of travelling to Beijing shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacre of June, 1989, noting the Chinese people “have been mistreated and cheated by their government for years.”
“If they had the proper leadership, there are no limits on what they could accomplish,” he told the Star-Herald. “They are such kind, generous, capable people. They just gave and gave and gave to me. Going there was one of the best things I have ever done.”
Mr. Walz and his wife married on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the massacre, chosen because “he wanted to have a date he’ll always remember,” according to his spouse Gwen Whipple.
As a congressman, Mr. Walz served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses on human rights and has long been a thorn in Beijing’s side, giving a platform to Chinese dissidents and attacking the country’s record on issues such as Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and internet censorship.
In 2016, Mr. Walz travelled as part of a U.S. Congressional delegation to Tibet, and while he praised Chinese development work there, he also noted “growing concern” among himself and other lawmakers about “restrictions on human rights and religious freedom in Tibet,” and called for dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama – whom Mr. Walz has met on several occasions.
The following year, Mr. Walz co-sponsored the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and was an early critic of Beijing’s growing encroachment on the former British colony’s political freedoms. (The law, which enabled the U.S. to impose sanctions against those deemed guilty of human rights violations in Hong Kong, wouldn’t pass until 2019, amid large-scale pro-democracy protests.)
Jeffrey Ngo, a Hong Kong democracy activist who lobbied Mr. Walz and others on this issue, described him on social media as “perhaps the most solid candidate when it comes to human rights and China on a major-party ticket in recent memory.”
The perception that Mr. Walz’s China experiences may make him a far tougher voice in any future administration is shared in Taiwan, where media outlets have been quick to highlight his visits to the self-ruled island and criticism of Beijing.
“Walz’s experience in China should be seen as a major positive for Taiwan,” said Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Taiwan University in Taipei. “It means he’s not ignorant to what life under the PRC is like,” he said, referring to the People’s Republic of China, “and how valuable it is for a place like Taiwan to maintain its democratic freedoms.”
Prof. Wu said Mr. Walz’s military experience – he served 24 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, though never saw combat – may also mean he is “tougher on national-security-related issues.”
For decades, Beijing has become accustomed to ignoring tough China rhetoric from U.S. politicians: Bill Clinton denounced the “butchers of Beijing” after Tiananmen, but then pushed for China to join the World Trade Organization; Mr. Trump attacked China on trade but also repeatedly praised Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Even today, as both Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance have made attacking China a key part of their campaign, many Chinese observers favour the former president over Ms. Harris, pointing to his desire for a trade deal and isolationist instincts, particularly when it comes to any potential conflict over Taiwan.
“In many ways, Trump’s signature transactional approach to U.S. leadership in international affairs could work in China’s favour geopolitically,” Hong Kong-based political analyst Wang Xiangwei wrote this week. He added that Trump’s tough talk on NATO, Ukraine and global trade could also “provide a much-needed opportunity for China to disrupt the united Western front that Washington cobbled together to resist against the perceived rising and assertive influence from Beijing.”
The choice of Mr. Walz suggests Ms. Harris may seek to uphold the current administration’s tough stance toward China. Indeed, for all the criticism of the Minnesota governor by Republicans, his experience on China will likely be seen as anything but reassuring for Beijing.
Vice President Kamala Harris has picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state.
The Associated Press