Messaging Guidance:
Tim Walz Is a Strong, Experienced Leader Who Has Stood Up to China
August 2024
Talking Points:
MAGA Republicans are scrambling to attack Tim Walz’s experience in China as a weakness because their own approach has been a complete failure. These attacks are as disingenuous as they are misleading.
In reality, Walz’s experience in dealing with Beijing is an asset to the United States. After more than two decades in the Army and nearly twenty years in elected office, Walz has seen it all. More than almost anyone in Washington, he understands the promise and peril of engaging with China, and can provide valuable advice on China issues to President Harris and her foreign policy team.
Walz has visited China dozens of times. He’s organized study abroad programs in the country. And he’s met with countless business leaders and government officials. But his engagement with China hasn’t made him weak. In fact, he’s become one of the strongest and most effective voices on China throughout his time in public service.
As a member of Congress, he helped lead efforts to address Beijing's human rights record, while working to support democracy and the rule of law.
He has met with the Dalai Lama and those fighting for democracy in Hong Kong.
He has worked tirelessly to bolster American manufacturing while reducing dependency on Chinese supply chains.
And he has engaged with business and government leaders from Taiwan, working to strengthen relations and expand trade opportunities with a key U.S. partner in the region.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s approach to China was erratic, antagonistic, and ineffective. He tried to play hardball with his counterparts in Beijing – but never delivered any real results for the American people.
Donald Trump always said he would negotiate a “better deal” for Americans – but all he delivered were failed policies that ballooned trade deficits, cost Americans billions of dollars, and lost hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs. Worse yet, none of his actions had any real effect on China’s unfair trade policies, which have been harming American families for decades.
Background:
Walz Understands China
Walz knows China – and because of that, he is better prepared to tackle the challenges China poses. His expertise will be invaluable as the Harris-Walz Administration responsibly manages competition while protecting American consumers.
Walz has highly-relevant, on the ground experience doing the critical people-to-people diplomacy that can help the U.S. understand Chinese thinking, behavior, and intentions.
Shortly after earning his teaching degree, Walz spent a year teaching high school as part of Harvard University’s WorldTeach program.
Later, Walz and his wife started an educational travel program, which allowed students from Minnesota to travel the world, study history, and engage with their peers in China.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t know anything about China – as evidenced by his disastrous policies which worsened tensions and led to a disastrous trade war that harmed the U.S. economy.
Protecting Americans from Fentanyl
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken concrete steps to prevent fentanyl from entering the United States – and their work is paying off. The Administration’s efforts helped lead to the first decline in overdose deaths in five years.
An important part of this work has been engaging in hard-nosed, substantive diplomacy with Beijing – which led to a historic agreement to target drug producers and traffickers in China – where the vast majority of precursor materials for fentanyl are produced.
Walz has also been part of the fight against opioids and fentanyl, such as signing a bill into law that dedicated $200 million in state funding to prevention, hard reduction, treatment, and recovery.
Trump grossly mishandled the fentanyl crisis – his erratic, ineffective policies allowed opioid-related overdose deaths to skyrocket. Americans whose lives have been upended by this crisis understand all too well why our country cannot afford another Trump presidency.
Economic Security and Fair Trade
Tim Walz has always advocated for trade policies with China that protect American workers and grow our economy. As Governor, Walz called on Trump to end his disastrous trade war with China, which was devastating for farmers in Minnesota and across the Midwest.
Walz understands that building a strong middle class is critical for our country, and has emphasized the importance of bolstering American manufacturing while reducing dependency on Chinese supply chains. His efforts to promote domestic production and innovation are key to maintaining economic security.
Trump hurt American farmers with his trade war just so he could look tough on China. His ineffective policies caused trade deficits to balloon, cost Americans billions of dollars, and lost hundreds of thousands of good-paying American jobs.
Human Rights and Democratic Values
Throughout his time in public service, Tim Walz has always stood up to China’s human rights abuses and efforts to undermine pro-democracy movements.
Walz has repeatedly condemned China's human rights abuses and the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong. He has supported sanctions and other measures to pressure China to respect human rights and international norms.
Walz has repeatedly underscored the importance of standing with democratic allies and partners in Asia and around the world – he knows these partners and allies are our greatest strategic advantage and a unique source of strength.
As champion of democratic values, Walz signed the Democracy for the People Act into law as Governor, which established automatic voter registration across the state, increased penalties for voter intimidation, and enhanced disclosure requirements for secretive foreign groups seeking to influence America’s elections. In 2022, Walz met with the Taiwan Agriculture Delegation to expand trade between Taiwan and Minnesota, strengthening a relationship with a key U.S. partner.
Trump, on the other hand, praises dictators like Xi Jinping and even said he wants to become a dictator on day one if elected.
In 2024, Trump complimented Xi Jinping, saying he “controls 1.4 billion people with an Iron first. I’d say he’s smart.”
Trump compromises on human rights when it comes to Xi. In October 2019, during a call with Xi, Trump promised not to criticize China's crackdowns on Hong Kong protests as long as trade talks progressed.