(DailyVantage.com) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s ties to Chinese officials have come under renewed scrutiny after Fox News Digital uncovered a letter he wrote in 2021 celebrating connections between Minnesota and China. Walz, now the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, wrote that Minnesota has hosted numerous top Chinese leaders over the years, highlighting Minnesota’s “longstanding relationship” with China. This letter, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Minnesota International Chinese School’s New Year event, praised the “growth of education, trade, and investment opportunities” between the state and China.
The timing of the letter is raising eyebrows, given that just days before, Zhao Jian, the Chinese Consul General in Chicago, had recorded a greeting for the school. In the following years, Walz met with Zhao to discuss U.S.-China relations and local cooperation, according to the House Oversight Committee. Although the details of the meeting remain unclear, a 2022 report from the Biden administration’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI) noted that Chinese consulates in the U.S. often participate in influence campaigns on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Walz’s interactions with China go back decades. In 1989, he worked in Guangdong as a teacher in a program designed to promote cultural exchange. Despite initial statements suggesting he visited China “dozens” of times, Walz’s campaign clarified he has made approximately 15 trips, including a honeymoon in 1994.
In past interviews, Walz has expressed a more cooperative view of U.S.-China relations. He previously stated, “I don’t fall into the category that China necessarily needs to be an adversarial relationship… there are many areas of cooperation.” Walz’s comments from 1991 also raised attention, as he spoke in a classroom about the Communist system in China, suggesting it ensures “everyone is the same, and everyone shares.”
In 2014, Walz welcomed a delegation from China to a Minnesota medical research institute affiliated with him. The institute collaborated with a firm labeled by the Pentagon as a “Chinese military company,” further fueling concerns over Walz’s connections with China.
Walz’s ties to China and his defense of Chinese policies are becoming a contentious point in the election, particularly as he serves as Kamala Harris’s running mate.
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