St. Paul, Minnesota – Newly uncovered reports have brought contradictions to light regarding Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s statements about his travels to China. The controversy centers around his claim of being in Hong Kong in 1989 during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, where hundreds of protesters were killed by the Chinese government.
The discrepancies in Walz’s account of his ties to China have emerged just before the upcoming vice presidential debate in New York. Republican allies of Ohio Sen. JD Vance have hinted at using Walz’s history in China as a point of attack against him. It has been revealed that Walz organized and led trips to China while he was a teacher before entering politics.
Walz previously stated that he visited Hong Kong in May of 1989, shortly before the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing took place. However, reports have surfaced indicating that during that time, Walz was actually in Nebraska. A newspaper article published in April 1989 in Nebraska mentioned his plans to travel to China in early August of that year.
Questions about Walz’s presence in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests have been raised, with the Harris campaign unable to provide evidence to support his claim. The issue was first reported by Minnesota Public Radio News and APM Reports.
Furthermore, it appears that Walz may have exaggerated the number of times he has traveled to China. Contrary to his statements of visiting China about 30 times, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign suggested that the actual number might be closer to 15 trips.
Walz’s connection to China has been significant in his life, starting with his first visit to the country in 1989. Despite this, since joining the Harris campaign, he has not extensively discussed his experiences in China or his travel history to the country.
Recently, Republicans have honed in on Walz’s ties to China for further investigation. Senior advisor Jason Miller from Donald Trump’s campaign indicated plans to draw attention to Walz’s trips to China during the debate. Congressional Republicans have also joined in this scrutiny, with House Oversight Chairman James Comer issuing a subpoena for documents related to Walz’s alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
These inconsistencies surrounding Walz’s travel history to China and Hong Kong highlight a pattern of inaccuracies in his past statements, bringing into question his credibility as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. This revelation comes after previous instances where Walz had misspoken on other matters, underscoring the need for clarity and transparency in political discourse.