Harris's running mate pick aims to bolster Democratic base: expert

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's decision to choose a running mate who appeals to her progressive base diverges from former President Donald Trump's approach of picking a vice presidential candidate similarly situated with him on the political spectrum, according to analysis from an international scholar at a Chinese university.

Harris, who has won enough delegate votes to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, unveiled Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday.

Walz, 60, previously served as a U.S. House representative. He was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

In a China Global Television Network (CGTN) online interview on Wednesday, Josef Gregory Mahoney, professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University, analyzed the mainstream strategies in selecting a running mate and said Harris' decision aims at winning more support of the Democratic base rather than making up for weaknesses or wining key votes.

"There are generally three strategies one can employ when choosing a VP running mate. First, choose someone who helps you win some key electoral college votes. Second, choose someone who appeals to your base while and you can run towards the center. Or third, choose someone more or less just like you who compensates for whatever you might be missing. Trump used the last strategy when he chose Vance. As you suggest, many thought Harris might choose the first strategy. Instead, she chose the second strategy. With Tim Walz, she has a folksy midwestern progressive who should be well-liked by the Democratic base, which was crumbling with Biden. She will still be able to tout Shapiro as a possible cabinet pick and have him campaign for her," he said.

While a choice of running mate can come with an array of benefits for a presidential candidate, Mahoney stressed that every pick carries risk.

"The VP choice plays into the broader campaign strategy, but the first priority is to bring something to the table, be it votes, a regional connection, an ideological value, a style, youth if the presidential candidate is old or age and the appearance of wisdom if the candidate is young. Or to add gender or racial difference and so on. The fact is great VP picks can risk overshadowing their running mates, as happened when Dukakis chose Bentsen in 1988. And terrible ones can undermine the credibility of the campaign, as happened when McCain chose Palin in 2008. So, there is an odd balancing act. But what's interesting is that VP candidates are in the mix because they have the own ambition and ego, but they have to subordinate this to such an extent that they often become caricatures," said the scholar.

"A good VP will be an effective proxy, instill confidence that he or she will be a good replacement should the president die or become incapacitated, be a good debater, and amplify those aspects of the campaign that the presidential candidate supports, but can't afford to over-emphasize. He or she will also able to leverage some fund-raising support and provide some political advice wisdom while shouldering a lot of the campaigning, letting the presidential candidate rest a bit or attend to other matters or parts of the campaign," he said.

Harris's running mate pick aims to bolster Democratic base: expert

Flower breeding and cultivation bases across China are actively promoting new and healthier varieties of flowering trees and plants, helping create a brighter future for the country's famous springtime scenery.

In a peach blossom scenic area in Changde City of central China's Hunan Province, more than 50 varieties of peach blossoms are in full bloom, attracting flocks of visitors.

The varieties in the area come from the national peach germplasm resource bank in the city. Through artificial cultivation, not only are the varieties of flowers increasing, but the flowering period is also being extended.

According to researchers, one of the star varieties, noted for its rich color, took nearly 16 years to cultivate and promote in the scenic area.

"Its biggest feature is its strong resistance to gummosis. We can see that although a branch like this is damaged, there is no gummosis, so it has a long lifespan and can be used in gardens for a longer time," said Wang Yan, professor of the province's Changde Vocational and Technical College.

Gummosis is the formation of gummy substances on the surface of the trees, which often result from dead tissue.

At Phalaenopsis World, the country's largest phalaenopsis tissue culture center in Suqian City in east China's Jiangsu Province, technicians are cutting phalaenopsis seedlings into thin slices and planting them one by one in transparent bottles, allowing them to multiply exponentially.

"The breeding cycle is short, and the light, temperature and humidity can be freely adjusted artificially. The phalaenopsis bred using this technology have high uniformity and fast growth rate," said Wang Yanting, a plant inoculation specialist at the cultivation center.

Researchers said that the planting center uses more than 200 smart sensors and 5G technology to accurately control growth factors such as temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation to achieve "timed flowering."

"In fact, the natural flowering period of phalaenopsis should be from the beginning of the Chinese New Year to early May, and this is its natural state. Now we can intervene with technology and make it bloom any day we want. Phalaenopsis blooms through temperature regulation. At this time, we need to use air conditioning equipment, constant temperature equipment and dehumidification equipment," said Cao Guofeng, director of the cultivation base.

Breeding bases across China promote new spring flower varieties