The vice president of Harris, who was recently appointed, spent several years promoting a research facility that collaborated with a "Chinese military company."

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been a vocal supporter of a medical research institute in his state that has a history of collaborating with a firm labeled by the Pentagon as a "Chinese military company" and with Chinese officials with controversial ties to the CCP.

Walz, the Democratic presidential nominee, has a long-standing affiliation with the Hormel Institute, a biomedical research center at the University of Minnesota in Austin, Minnesota. In April, the institute released a press statement detailing Walz's recent visit to meet with local leaders and learn about the institute's recent advancements in biomedical and agricultural research, as well as its growing education and outreach initiatives.

"The Hormel Institute is no longer a secret, and we don't want it to be a secret - it's very un-Minnesotan of us because we're bragging all the time. We want to share our vision of MBiC, which fits with where we see ourselves as a state in the future, around green energy, sustainable agriculture, and the ability to feed a very hungry world, and the ability to be one of the nation's designated biotech hubs."

The Beijing Genomics Institute, classified by the Pentagon as a "Chinese military company," has collaborated with the Hormel Institute on research involving BGI machines and studies conducted in Shenzhen, China.

The National Security Commission on AI stated in 2022 that BGI may be unknowingly or intentionally acting as a global repository for Chinese government gene databases, giving China an advantage in terms of the number and diversity of human genome samples, as well as access to sensitive personal information about important individuals worldwide.

The prevalence of concerns about BGI has prompted Congress to consider legislation banning government contracts with the Chinese military subsidiary, as previously reported by Planet Chronicle Digital.

The former executive director of the Hormel Institute has also faced controversy due to his extensive ties to BGI and the timing of his 2019 resignation.

In 2019, Dr. Zigang Dong resigned from his position as head of the institute after 18 years in the role. This came after it was reported that he was being investigated by the FBI for failing to disclose foreign backing when applying for grants, according to the Austin Daily Herald.

As the executive director of the Hormel Institute, Dong founded the China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute (CUHCI), a multimillion-dollar international partnership with a research facility in China, and Walz was present to witness the announcement.

"The partnership results in more resources and increased collaboration based on the scientific data," Walz, who was then representing Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, stated.

The Henan Provincial Government budgets a certain amount of money annually to the institute to ensure its regular operation, as per the partnership's explanation.

In 2014, the institute welcomed a delegation from China led by Wang Yanling, the vice governor of Henan Province and a Communist Party doctor. Yanling has held several positions in the Chinese Communist Party over many decades.

According to an archived version of the Henan Cancer Institute's website, several members of the Chinese Communist Party have served on its board of directors.

Although Dong no longer holds the position of executive director, his affiliation with the China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute in Zhengzhou persists. In 2022, the institute published a study with Dong and other individuals that utilized genetic sequencing provided by BGI.

In January 2024, Professor Ann M. Bode from the Hormel Institute in Minnesota collaborated with several Chinese scientists to conduct research using BGI machines.

The Minnesota Hormel Institute has five professors who received their education in China, including experts in gene regulation in the field of genetics.

Dong has consistently been a significant contributor to Walz's political career, with five donations of over $200 to Walz's congressional campaigns since 2005, as shown in FEC filings.

Walz, as a member of Congress, supported Hormel's expansion and helped them obtain "over $2M for technology acquisitions," according to a press release.

In 2008, while visiting the Hormel Institute, Congressman Walz stated that he would continue to advocate for the institute to receive a $5 million federal earmark in 2009 to fund equipment and instruments for the new International Center of Research Technology. The center could cost up to $10 million, with additional expenses for staff, instruments, and possibly more space.

Walz was commended for his efforts to secure funding for the group, particularly his push to send over $300,000 to the institute in 2009.

According to the Post Bulletin, Dong stated, "We are deeply indebted to Congressman Walz and the tireless, unwavering commitment he exhibits in securing funding support for the Hormel Institute."

"Our growth and future growth aspirations are contingent on our community partnerships and leader support, including Congressman Walz."

Two of Walz's top congressional aides visited the Hormel Institute in 2016 to discuss ways in which congressional support could aid the institute, including increasing the NIH budget to boost cancer grant funding.

Tim Bertocci, who served as Walz's legislative director and deputy chief of staff, started working at the Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict earlier this year, according to his Linkedin profile. Sara Severs, who was Walz's legislative director and deputy chief of staff at the time, works for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

"The International Center of Research Technology received a $2 million grant from Rep. Walz for technology upgrades, including a supercomputer and mass spectrometry for cancer research."

In his book "Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance," Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, cautioned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively undermining U.S. foreign policy through cancer research centers.

Sobolik wrote that America, due to its strength and beliefs, frequently opposes authoritarianism and imperialism, even though many Americans may not be aware of it.

"In 2018, I was informed by the president of an internationally recognized cancer research center that the CCP was stealing advanced radiology research from their institution. Beijing's intent was not to cure cancer but to examine the possibility of immunizing their population against radiation poisoning in a nuclear war, which led me to realize that we are once again living in a cold war."

While Americans desire to employ science to combat cancer, the Chinese Communist Party seeks to exploit that research to gain an advantage in a nuclear conflict.

"The FBI's investigation into Dong, which has been an open secret in medical research centers throughout America for over five years, should have raised red flags for Tim Walz. The investigation has the hallmarks of the CCP's Thousand Talents Program, which Beijing leverages to steal and repurpose dual-use research for military purposes. Walz's continued support for the Hormel Institute raises questions about his judgment on critical national security issues."

Dong is believed to be associated with China's "Talents Plan" or "Thousand Talents Plan," which aims to motivate its members to acquire foreign technologies to further China's national, military, and economic objectives.

In 2018, ThermoFisher, a company accused by Human Rights Watch of providing the Chinese government with surveillance technology to oppress the Uyghur population, hosted a conference in Beijing titled "Transforming lives through innovative Precision Medicine."

At the conference, "Looking Toward a World Without Cancer," Professor Liu Yuanli, who is affiliated with the "Thousand Talents" program, hosted one of the panels.

Also sitting on that panel was Dong.

In 2014, Dong was recognized as one of the "100 Top Talents Projects" in China, as stated in a press release.

"When the history of cancer treatment is written, it will be through Henan Province and Austin, Minnesota," Walz said.

Recent scrutiny of Walz's affinity toward China and past associations with its communist regime has brought attention to the ties between the Hormel Institute and Walz.

In 1989, Walz traveled to Guangdong, China, for a teach abroad program to teach English and American history. Since then, he has made numerous trips to the country. According to The Wall Street Journal, one of his trips doubled as his honeymoon in 1994, and he planned his wedding date to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

In an interview with Agri-Pulse Communications, Walz stated that he has lived in China and has been there approximately 30 times. He emphasized that China does not necessarily need an adversarial relationship, and he disagrees with the notion that they need to be confronted. However, he believes that it is important to stand firm on what China is doing in the South China Sea. Walz also highlighted the many areas of cooperation that can be worked on.

In 1990, a local outlet quoted him saying, "I will never be treated that well again, no matter how long I live, reflecting on his visits to China."

"Walz stated that he had an excellent experience as he was treated exceptionally well and received more gifts than he could bring home."

The Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989 and ongoing human rights abuses in the communist regime led to the remark.

In early August, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posted on X that Tim Walz owes the American people an explanation about his 35-year relationship with Communist China, which he finds unusual.

Earlier this month, Walz's ties to China were being investigated by the House Oversight Committee, specifically his "longstanding connections" to China and CCP-linked entities, as reported by Planet Chronicle Digital.

The Hormel Cancer Institute in China and the Hormel Institute in Minnesota are no longer affiliated, as stated by a spokesperson for the Hormel Institute in Minnesota to Planet Chronicle Digital.

"The Hormel Institute in Minnesota and the University of Minnesota have no connection with the China-US (Henan) Hormel Cancer Institute in China. The institute in China has been sent cease and desist letters demanding it to stop using the Hormel name."

"Both the Hormel Institute and the University adhere to federal regulations regarding disclosure, security, export controls, and sanctions."

Both Republicans and Democrats have supported and continue to support the Hormel Institute and its mission. State and federal leaders from both parties frequently visit Austin to meet with our researchers and learn more about our life-saving biomedical and cancer research.

The Harris-Walz campaign did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiries about the disassociation and Hormel's ties to BGI.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.