Yesterday we learned that Minnesota's Governor will be running with current Vice President Kamala Harris, as the VP candidate. That news made waves nationally, across the political spectrum. It also apparently ignited the internet across the world in China. So why was our Governor 'trending' on Chinese social media?

The BBC reported yesterday that after it was announced that Gov. Walz would be running with Harris Chinese social media started to see Governor Walz being mentioned more.

Why was Minnesota's Governor being talked about so much on Chinese social media?

In 1989, Walz was in China teaching at "the Foshan No 1 High School under a Harvard University volunteer" program.

According to the BBC:

"Chinese social media users have been discussing how Mr Walz spent a year teaching in the south-eastern province of Guangdong in 1989 - a topic that was trending on Weibo with 12 million views."

Users on the social media platform Weibo, which the Chinese government closely monitors, referenced the fact that Walz was in China during the Tiananmen uprising, where, the BBC wrote, "hundreds of thousands had gathered demanding political reforms. The day ended in bloodshed and to this day it is unclear exactly how many died. Some estimates put the death toll upwards of 10,000."

According to the BBC, several users felt that if the Harris Walz ticket were to win in November, it may lead to better relations between the two countries, due to Gov Walz's time spent teaching back in 1989.

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Also of note, the BBC reported that Minnesota's first couple honeymooned in China, after being married on the 5th anniversary of the Tiananmen uprising.

You can read the whole piece on Gov. Walz trending on Chinese social media here. 

You can watch the first event that both Gov. Walz and Vice President Harris were at together below.