By As the Democratic vice-presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz campaigns for higher office, comments he made as a high school teacher in the early 1990s about life under Chinese communism are drawing new scrutiny. Walz, who taught social studies in Nebraska at the time, described the Chinese communist system in a way that appears to extol its virtues, emphasizing equality and state-provided necessities, writes The Washington Free Beacon.
“It means that everyone is the same and everyone shares,” Walz said during a lesson on China’s communist system in November 1991. “The doctor and the construction worker make the same. The Chinese government and the place they work for provide housing and 14 kg or about 30 pounds of rice per month. They get food and housing.”
Walz’s remarks were reported in a 1991 article in Nebraska’s Alliance Times-Herald that focused on his work on student exchange programs in China. At the time, Walz was teaching social studies at a Nebraska high school.
Michael Sobolik, a China expert and the author of Countering China’s Great Game, said Walz’s comments to students were a “shockingly naïve description of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.”
“American students need to learn the horrific truths of communism and the horrors this dangerous ideology has wrought over the past century,” said Sobolik. “Gov. Walz should clarify his comments and share his impression of communism in 2024.”
Walz’s fascination with China has been documented over the years, according to The Daily Caller. A 1994 profile in Nebraska’s Star-Herald described him as being particularly intrigued by the country, even from a young age. He first visited China in 1989, shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacre, as part of a year-long teaching fellowship. Despite the recent crackdown on pro-democracy activists, Walz expressed enthusiasm about his experience, noting in letters that he was “being treated like a king” and enjoyed a lifestyle far better than his Chinese counterparts.
Upon returning to the United States, Walz continued to lead student trips to China, reportedly with the support of the Chinese government. These trips were arranged by a friend in China’s foreign affairs department and partially funded by the Chinese government, according to reports from the early 1990s.
Further solidifying his connection to China, Walz and his wife Gwen chose to marry on the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, with Gwen noting that Walz “wanted to have a date he’ll always remember.” The BBC, which reported the story, did not say whether it was to celebrate or mourn the massacre. The couple spent their honeymoon in China and later founded a travel company specializing in educational trips to the country.
Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz:
“One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
This is the most radical ticket in American history. pic.twitter.com/RcWYPhDs0i
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 6, 2024
Walz maintained ties with Chinese educational institutions until his election to Congress in 2007, serving as a visiting fellow at Macau Polytechnic University. As he now seeks the vice presidency, his long history with China and his past remarks will likely continue to be a focal point for both his critics and supporters.
The close connections between Walz and China has raised the eyebrows of some in nation’s capital, reports The Washignton Post. “In a letter to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) wrote that Walz (D) had “concerning ties” to China, citing the governor’s dozens of trips to the country, and requested a trove of documents and information related to Chinese entities that Walz has engaged with.
‘Americans should be deeply concerned that Governor Walz, Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential running mate, has a long-standing and cozy relationship with China,’ Comer said in a statement. ‘Mr. Walz has visited China dozens of times, served as a fellow at a Chinese institution that maintains a devotion to the CCP, and spoke alongside the President of a Chinese organization the State Department exposed as a CCP effort to influence and co-opt local leaders.’”
After an investigation that has lasted over the last nine months, Comer recently released a report revealing that Joe Biden likely committed violations worth of impeachment.
[Read More: Republican Pleads Guilty]
