Bernie Sanders once said that the Mao era China had democracy at the local level

Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders once defended Mao-era China by claiming that it had democracy "locally" because he argued that the United States should provide aid to the country while cutting off other undemocratic nations.

Senator Sanders, I-Vt., Made these remarks in December 1971 in an interview with The Burlington Free Press, when he was "senatorial candidate for Liberty Union". Fox News has reviewed the archived article.

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In the article, Sanders called for a takeover of public services by the United States government, after pleading for a sweep of nationalization policies in the 1970s. He also condemned US foreign policy as "overly favorable to military dictatorships ”.

But he created an exception for China.

"He said the United States, as a wealthy nation, has an obligation to help small countries but should not help or cooperate with nations whose governments are not democratic," said l & # 39; section. "Sanders said that such a policy would not endanger our interests worldwide, as it is against our real interests to cooperate with such regimes."

The article went on to say that Sanders "excluded communist China from this policy on the grounds that although it is a military dictatorship as a nation, it nevertheless has democracy" at the local level "".

China was then ruled by dictator Mao Zedong.

Burlington Free Press article from December 16, 1971

China, at the time of her comments, was in the midst of the cultural revolution, in which hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – were killed as Mao's infantrymen targeted the regime's enemies.

the revolution lasted from 1966 to 1976, with Mao at the helm. As detailed in a New York Times report, the exact number of deaths is unknown, but it is estimated at around 1 million.

"Bernie Sanders repeatedly showed us his true colors (Soviet red) – defending the Castro regime and the Communist authoritarianism in Central America, and even praising the USSR at the height of the Cold War", a Democrat strategist for a rival campaign told Fox News. "There is an endless oppo file on Bernie Sanders that Trump and his allies absolutely salivate using, and frankly, this disqualifies Bernie as a candidate and potential president."

The strategist added: "The fact is that if he walks like a communist and speaks like a communist, he is probably a communist".

A Sanders campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. Sanders stressed that he was technically a democratic socialist.

Sanders, after big wins in New Hampshire and Nevada and a virtual tie in Iowa, is currently leading in terms of the number of delegates for the Democratic nomination. But he has been criticized for praising communist dictators on the campaign trail.

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Last month, Sanders defended some of the policies of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, saying it was "unfair to just say that everything is bad."

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Sanders pointed to the social protection programs introduced under the Castro regime which he described as redeeming, despite the often repressive human rights violations of the communist dictator against the Cubans.

"We are very much against Cuba's authoritarian nature, but you know, it's unfair to just say that everything is bad. You know? When Fidel Castro took office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even if Fidel Castro did it? "Sanders said on" 60 minutes "from CBS News.

And last week, Sanders defended the dictator's education reforms, including his literacy programs.

"When Fidel Castro came to power … you know what he did? He launched an important literacy program. There were a lot of people in Cuba at that time who were illiterate and he formed the Literacy Brigade … and they went out and they helped people learn to read and write … You know what? I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing, "said Sanders in response to the criticism.

Meanwhile, rival candidate Mike Bloomberg was criticized for declaring last fall that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was not a dictator.

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"The Communist Party wants to remain powerful in China, and it listens to the public," said Bloomberg. "Xi Jinping is not a dictator. He must satisfy his constituents or he will not survive. "