Walz’s China experience draws GOP attacks, but Beijing isn’t counting on better ties

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has a history with China. And Republicans are seizing on it. The Democratic vice presidential nominee taught in China for a year, went back with exchange students and served on a congressional committee about China’s human rights. Republicans have accused him without evidence of a decadeslong relationship with “Communist China” and even opened an investigation. The attacks reflect how visits once seen as simple cultural interactions have become a target for political opponents amid a tense U.S.-China relationship. A Walz spokesman noted the governor’s record in standing up to China’s Communist Party, saying Republicans are “twisting basic facts.”