Elections
Harris VP Pick Walz’s Long History With China May Prove Awkward
- Past statements may draw criticism from China and Republicans
- He’s cited room for cooperation but also lauded the Dalai Lama
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Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has connections to China dating back decades that could help inform Kamala Harris’s approach to the world’s second-biggest economy, but may also spell trouble with leaders in Beijing and Republicans back home.
The little-known Minnesota governor taught English in China’s southern Guangdong province in 1989 and 1990, making him the first person on a presidential ticket to have that kind of experience living in the country since George H. W. Bush, who served as US ambassador in Beijing in the 1970s. Walz has often spoken affectionately about China’s people.