Former High School English Teacher in China Became the U.S. Vice Presidential Candidate

Once a teacher at Foshan No. 1 High School in Guangdong, China, Tim Walz is now the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate. Walz began his career teaching at the high school in Foshan, later joining a crucial congressional committee focused on the relationship between Beijing and Washington.

As an educator, Walz taught American history, culture, and English at Foshan No. 1 High School in southern China’s Guangdong province in 1989. "China was on the rise at the time, which is why I went there," Walz told The Hill (《国会山报》), a news website based in Washington, D.C., in a 2007 interview. Due to his kindness, students nicknamed him "Fields of China" (田野中国).

His time in China shaped his views on life under the Chinese Communist Party. "With the right leadership, they could achieve limitless success," he said in a 1990 interview with the Star Tribune (《星报先驱报》), describing his teaching experience in China as "one of the best things I've ever done."

Walz's interest in China did not end there. Upon returning to the United States, he and his wife founded a company called "Educational Travel Adventures," which coordinated summer trips to China for American high school students.

Five years after the Tiananmen Square protests and the subsequent violent crackdown by the Chinese government, Walz and his wife led two American high school tour groups back to China for their honeymoon. Until 2003, they continued to operate summer exchange programs to China for American students.

Advocating for Human Rights in China

After becoming a congressman in 2007, Walz continued to focus on issues related to China. During his tenure in Congress, he served on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses on Chinese human rights issues.

On June 21, 2017, Tim Walz, as a member of the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, expressed his views on China to Wisconsin House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, and Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson. Walz quickly established himself as an outspoken critic of the Chinese government, frequently meeting with prominent activists from China and Hong Kong, including well-known Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

In a 2014 interview with Voice of America, Walz recalled his impressions of witnessing the Tiananmen Square student protests. He said, "I remember waking up on June 4th and seeing the unimaginable happen." Despite most Americans choosing to leave China due to safety concerns after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Walz felt it was "more important than ever" to go to China to ensure "the story was told" and to let the Chinese people know that the outside world was with them.

In addition to interacting with activists from China and Hong Kong, Walz co-sponsored several resolutions on critical human rights issues in China, including calls for the release of Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo and Chinese activist Huang Qi, and co-signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in 2017.

In a 2016 congressional speech, Walz emphasized the importance of "constructive dialogue" with Beijing to ensure the protection of "traditional Tibetan culture and Tibet's fragile ecosystem." "The United States is built on the idea of universal freedom, and I believe we must continue to urge the Chinese government to provide less restrictive religious freedom for Tibetans," he said.

Enhancing Diplomatic Policy

In addition to his outspoken criticism of China's human rights record, Walz also expressed concern about China's attempts to expand its presence in the South China Sea in 2016, noting that Beijing's construction of artificial islands in disputed waters was a reason to oppose Washington's reduction in military spending.

Despite his tough stance on China's human rights record and military posture, Walz still emphasized the importance of cooperation with China. "I don't think China necessarily has to be adversarial," he said in an interview with Agri-Pulse Communications.

"I think we need to firmly address their actions in the South China Sea, but there are many areas where we can cooperate," Walz added.

Some analysts suggest that Walz's deep ties to China and his record in U.S.-China diplomacy could help the Democratic presidential ticket make more informed decisions on foreign policy, especially regarding China.

"I think his candidacy for Vice President would reassure many concerned about U.S. foreign policy in the region, knowing that there's someone on the ticket who is knowledgeable, has been in the region, and is not starting from scratch in understanding U.S. diplomacy in East Asia," said Nahman Levey, a political scientist at National Taiwan University.

Levey noted that Walz's humanitarian views on Chinese, Tibetan, and Hong Kong people could add more nuance to U.S. policy debates related to China. "He might be able to articulate the need to counter China's authoritarianism and human rights violations in a way that does not demonize Chinese citizens or rely excessively on confrontational rhetoric in U.S.-China dialogue," Levey told Voice of America by phone.