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Newly uncovered reports challenge previous statements made by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz regarding his travel history to China. Walz had claimed he was in China for a teaching position during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of protesters. This contradiction comes ahead of the upcoming vice presidential debate in New York, where Republican allies of Ohio Sen. JD Vance have hinted this issue might be used against Walz.

Walz, who frequently organized and chaperoned trips to China during his tenure as a teacher, previously stated he visited Hong Kong in May 1989, just weeks before the Tiananmen Square massacre. At a 2014 hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Walz, then a congressman, shared detailed recollections of being in China at that time.

However, contemporaneous reports now place Walz in Nebraska during the same period he claimed to have been in Hong Kong. A May 16, 1989, issue of the Alliance Times-Herald featured Walz touring a Nebraska National Guard storeroom, contradicting his timeline. Another Nebraska-based report from April 1989 indicated he planned to travel to China in early August of that year.

When asked for evidence supporting Walz's claim of being in China during the Tiananmen Square protests, the Harris campaign was unable to substantiate it. Additionally, Walz appears to have exaggerated the frequency of his travels to China. While he mentioned in a 2016 interview that he visited China "about 30 times," a Harris campaign spokesperson clarified the number was likely closer to 15.

Walz has long emphasized his connection to China, including marrying on June 4, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and spending his honeymoon leading an educational trip to China. Yet, since joining the Harris campaign, Walz has rarely discussed his history with China.

Recently, Republicans have scrutinized Walz's ties to China, with Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller signaling that Vance might address this issue during the debate. Congressional Republicans have also joined the scrutiny, with House Oversight Chairman James Comer subpoenaing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for documents related to Walz based on whistleblower allegations of his ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

These inconsistencies in Walz's travel claims are the latest in a series of revelations casting doubt on his past statements since he became the Democratic vice presidential nominee. In August, the Harris campaign stated Walz "misspoke" in a 2018 video where he claimed to have handled assault weapons "in war."