Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential choice, Tim Walz, has sparked significant discussion on Chinese social media platforms. The attention stems from Mr. Walz’s year-long teaching stint in Guangdong in 1989, a topic that recently trended on Weibo, garnering 12 million views.
In 1989, Mr. Walz and his wife, Gwen Whipple, who is also a teacher, spent a year in China teaching English and American history.
Mr. Walz described the experience as “one of the best things I’ve ever done.” Before entering politics, the 60-year-old governor of Minnesota was a history teacher and football coach.
Fresh out of college, Walz’s decision to teach in China brought him to the country during a tumultuous time. The same year as the Tiananmen Square massacre. On June 4, 1989, Chinese military forces violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing. Resulting in an unknown number of deaths, with estimates reaching into the thousands.
On Chinese social media, users discuss 1989 obliquely to avoid censorship. One user commented, “If you know, you know.” Others noted that foreigners in China at that time tend to be “the most anti-China.”
Some users emphasized that 1989 was a vastly different era for China, preceding its rise as a global manufacturing hub and economic powerhouse.
“This candidate was in China at a very different time. The atmosphere was very different,” one comment read. Despite this, there is hope that Walz’s background could foster better US-China relations amid ongoing trade and geopolitical tensions. A Weibo user remarked that Walz’s “unique background gives him a real perspective on China” and could “promote cultural exchanges between China and the United States at a time when… relations are extremely difficult.”
Walz taught at Foshan No. 1 High School through a Harvard University volunteer program. Upon his return to the US, he praised the Chinese people’s potential, saying, “They are such kind, generous, capable people.”
Walz and Whipple married on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square events. Whipple noted in an interview that her husband wanted a memorable date. The couple later founded a business organizing educational trips to China for American students.
There has been little official reaction from Republicans regarding Walz’s time in China. However, some Trump allies, such as Richard Grenell, a former acting director of National Intelligence, have critiqued the nomination, claiming that “Communist China is very happy with @GovTimWalz as Kamala’s VP pick” and labeling Walz as “pro-China.”
The Chinese government has yet to comment on Walz’s nomination.