Democratic VP nominee Walz gets flak from the right for his relationship with China

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

For days now, I've been thinking about one part of the record of Tim Walz. The Democratic vice presidential nominee has a decades-long history of traveling to China. Walz did that during years when U.S. relations with China were a little less strained. That life experience is compelling now that the U.S.-China relationship has become one of the most consequential long-term stories in the world. Some Republicans have also found Walz's experience suspicious.

So I was wondering in recent days, what is the story? What is the whole story of Walz's experience? Then I come in this morning to Studio 31 and find that NPR's John Ruwitch has prepared a report on that exact question, so let's play it.

JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE: In 1989, fresh out of college, Walz decided he needed to understand China, so he spent a year living in the southern city of Foshan, where he taught English. Christy Dai was a 15-year-old at the time and had him as a teacher.

CHRISTY DAI: He was one of the first opportunities for us to have a close encounter with people from the West.

RUWITCH: She says, he was humble and diligent. He got to know his students and inspired them, and he clearly made a deep impression.

DAI: This world needs people like him - people with integrity - to lead.

RUWITCH: In the '90s and early 2000s, Walz deepened his connection with China by leading U.S. high school students there on summer trips.

EMILY SCOTT: I really think he just wanted us to see how far away the horizon actually is.

RUWITCH: Emily Scott was on one of those trips. She says, Walz wanted the kids to be open-minded, curious and excited about new experiences, and he set the tone.

SCOTT: He didn't necessarily want us to love it or hate it. He didn't necessarily want us to judge it in any way - the world, other people. He just wanted us to know it was there.

RUWITCH: She says on that trip, Walz encouraged her to learn Chinese, and she went on to work in China later in life. In all, Walz has said he's made about 30 trips to China.

ZHIQUN ZHU: I think a lot of people in China feel kind of excited.

RUWITCH: Zhiqun Zhu is a professor at Bucknell University.

ZHU: Walz had this experience in China, so they assume that he might be kind of pro-China.

RUWITCH: On social media, Republican critics have tried to make the same point. One even labeled Walz a Marxist. In 2016, Walz discussed China in an interview with an agriculture information service called Agri-Pulse.

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TIM WALZ: I don't fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship. I totally disagree, and I think we need to stand firm on what they're doing in the South China Sea, but there's many areas of cooperation that we can work on.

RUWITCH: But his record is hard to put in a box. As a Congressman, he co-sponsored bills that were tough on China. He met the Dalai Lama and Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong, both of whom are reviled by Beijing. Walz also served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which monitors human rights and the rule of law there. Here he is speaking at a hearing to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

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WALZ: If we do not commemorate and we do not remember those who were willing to risk all, it puts all of us at risk of history forgetting the lessons that were there.

RUWITCH: Zhu, of Bucknell University, says Walz's firsthand experience with China could be a net positive, if elected.

ZHU: I think if we have somebody at the top who had this experience, who really knows China's system, culture, society and who still has some friends over there, this will be very helpful, you know, to smooth the relationship.

RUWITCH: But, he says, Walz may also not be afraid to show his teeth a little bit as the geopolitical rivalry deepens. John Ruwitch, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.