As a high school teacher in the 1990s, Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz reportedly praised the Chinese communist system, telling his students it was a place where “everyone shares” and receives free food and housing. During a 1991 lesson on China’s communist regime, Walz said, “It means that everyone is the same and everyone shares. 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,” as reported by the Free Beacon.

These remarks, reported in a 1991 article by Nebraska’s Alliance Times-Herald, might raise eyebrows today, especially given Walz’s extensive history with China. Walz taught social studies at a Nebraska high school at the time, and his comments could fuel concerns about his relationship with China, a country he has visited frequently over the years. Walz has long maintained that China isn’t necessarily an adversary, a stance that might alarm those wary of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence.

Michael Sobolik, a China expert and author of Countering China’s Great Game, criticized Walz’s comments, calling them a “shockingly naïve description of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule.” Sobolik emphasized the importance of educating American students about the harsh realities of communism. “Gov. Walz should clarify his comments and share his impression of communism in 2024,” he added.

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Walz’s seemingly rosy depiction of Chinese communism mirrors his more recent controversial statement that “one person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.” This perspective ties into his longstanding fascination with Communist China, dating back to his youth. A 1994 profile in Nebraska’s Star-Herald described Walz as someone who has “always been fascinated by Communist China.” As a child, Walz was intrigued by images of Mao Tse-tung in public spaces and parades.

Walz first ventured to China in 1989 on a teaching fellowship, just months after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Despite the bloodshed, Walz, then a 25-year-old National Guardsman, described his experience in China as overwhelmingly positive. He received a salary twice that of Chinese teachers, lived in a well-appointed apartment with air conditioning and a color TV, and was showered with gifts and celebrations.

Upon returning to the U.S., Walz began organizing trips to China for American high school students, with support from the Chinese government. These trips were reportedly arranged through a connection in China’s foreign affairs department and partially funded by the Chinese government.

Walz’s ties to China have drawn scrutiny from Republican lawmakers. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) recently expressed concerns about Walz’s connections to Chinese Communist Party-linked entities and officials. Comer warned that Walz could be vulnerable to the Party’s strategy of elite capture, which aims to co-opt influential figures.

DNC "AAPI Caucus Meeting" speaker:

"Tim Walz is going to be the first Chinese Vice President."

🧐 pic.twitter.com/7MTBQUHxsK

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 19, 2024

More recently, Walz has promoted U.S.-China cooperation, stating in 2016 that he doesn’t see China as necessarily needing to be in an adversarial relationship with the U.S. In another video, unearthed by Republicans, Walz mentioned being “pretty friendly with China.”