Tim Walz’s personal China history not expected to lead to big shift in US policy
- The Minnesota governor is expected to talk tough on the campaign trail and analysts are sceptical how far he would shift the dial in office
Kamala Harris’s running mate Tim Walz is expected to adopt a tough stance towards Beijing on the campaign trail despite his long history with the country, Chinese observers have said.
However, they said that this reflected the current political climate in the United States, and it was hard to tell whether it would have any effect on policy or lead to better relations if the Democrats win November’s election.
Harris, who has formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination, announced on Tuesday that the Minnesota governor would be her running mate.
She has been closing in on Donald Trump in the polls since President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election, and the choice was seen primarily as an effort to win over voters in Midwestern swing states and shore up the “blue wall” in the party’s traditional heartlands.
But Walz’s selection has also shone a spotlight on his extensive personal links to China, raising questions about how that might help shape a potential Harris administration’s approach to Beijing.
“We don’t have information as to whether or not either Mr Walz’s views on US policies toward China or his experiences living in China factored in the selection of him as Vice-President Harris’s running mate,” said Zha Daojiong, a professor of international studies at Peking University. “It would be futile to speculate, too.”
