Name: Democratic VP Pick Gov. Tim Walz: An Advocate on China's Human Rights Issues
Uploaded: 2024-08-09T03:28:40.000Z
Description: Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has previously called out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its human rights abuses and visited the country multiple times.

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Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has previously called out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its human rights abuses and visited the country multiple times.

Walz taught as a schoolteacher in China from 1989 to 1990 on behalf of Harvard University before entering politics as one of the first teachers to be allowed to educate students in China.

Having resided in China during the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, he told reporters on Capitol Hill in 2014 that the initial protests sparked an optimistic feeling in him.

“I remember waking up on June 4 and seeing the news and learning that the unthinkable had happened,” he said.

“And I am certainly honored to have been there and to see the spirit of the Chinese people, about trying to—very proud of their country—but understanding that freedom needs to shine.”

He married his wife, Gwen, on June 4, 1994, which marked the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, in order to have a "date he'll always remember."

During his time as a schoolteacher, Walz brought American high school students to China every summer until 2003.
<h2>Congressman</h2>
Walz was first elected to Congress in 2006. Since entering politics, he has criticized Beijing on several issues and sat on a committee that monitored human rights abuses in the country.

He co-sponsored the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2017, which called for the release of the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

He also co-sponsored a 2015 resolution expressing concern about reports of CCP state-sanctioned organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners, who have suffered persecution since 1999.

When he was a congressman, Walz met with several Chinese human rights activists, Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in 2016, and Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, who has since been jailed under Hong Kong's new security laws.

Walz has been described as knowledgeable and passionate about human rights and democracy in China by Hong Kong human rights activist Jeffrey Ngo.
<h2>State Governor</h2>
Walz was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 after defeating Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson by an 11.4 percent margin. He was reelected in 2022 by just over 7.5 percent, running against former state Sen. Scott Jensen.

Walz previously stated that cooperation with China is needed on issues such as climate change and agricultural production. He expressed outright criticism of Beijing when it sided with Moscow following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Furthermore, while he has welcomed foreign investment into Minnesota's local economy, specifically from Japanese investors, he has been reluctant to accept investment from Chinese corporate entities.

Nonetheless, Walz did not side with former President Donald Trump's trade policies, which were tougher on the Chinese communist regime. Instead, the governor promoted open dialogue with China during a six-day visit to Asia, which served to strengthen commercial ties in the region.

While many commended Walz for his stance on China, there have also been those across the political aisle who have been critical of his approach, expressing skepticism about his engagement with the CCP.

"Communist China is very happy with Governor Tim Walz as Kamala’s VP pick," said Richard Grenell, former U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting Director of National Intelligence during the Trump administration, in a post on X. "No one is more pro-China than Marxist Walz."

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump's Republican vice presidential choice and running mate, said on Aug. 6 that Walz's progressive energy policy and unrealistic climate goals would backfire and ultimately send manufacturing jobs to China.

"This is a guy who has proposed shipping more manufacturing jobs to China, wants to make America more reliant on garbage energy instead of American energy, and proposed defunding the Police," he said.

Vance has called China the "biggest threat" facing the United States.

The Harris-Walz campaign have dismissed such criticism, noting Walz's record of criticizing Beijing's human rights record. "Republicans are twisting basic facts," James Singer, a campaign spokesperson, said.

Singer said Walz had long stood up to the CCP and "fought for human rights and democracy, and always put American jobs and manufacturing first."

<em>Reuters contributed to this article.</em>

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Xiaohua Li is an international correspondent and associate producer of NTD's "China in Focus" based in New York City. She primarily reports for "China in Focus," focusing on U.S.-China relations. Xiaohua has a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Pennsylvania State University. Contact Xiaohua at Xiaohua.li@ntd.com