Rubio arrived in China despite sanctions — AFP
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to China alongside President Donald Trump, despite sanctions imposed by Beijing. According to reports, the visit was made possible by using an alias to circumvent the restrictions.
AFP reported this on May 13.
According to the publication, Rubio, while serving as a U.S. senator, fiercely defended human rights in China. For this, China imposed sanctions against him twice.
However, on Tuesday, China stated that it would not interfere with Rubio’s visit, as he is visiting China for the first time and is traveling to the country alongside Trump aboard the presidential aircraft Air Force One.
“The sanctions are directed against Rubio’s words and actions regarding China during his tenure as a U.S. senator,” explained Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu.
AFP notes that shortly before Rubio took office as secretary of state in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different character. This refers to the character for the first syllable of his surname, which means “Lu.”
Two diplomats said that, in their opinion, this change allows China to accept the official, as Rubio had previously been barred from entering the country when his surname was written in the previous manner.
Marco Rubio was a key author of a congressional bill that imposed sweeping sanctions on China over the alleged use of forced labor by the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority. He has also spoken out against Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
During his confirmation hearings for the position of Secretary of State, Rubio devoted significant attention to China, calling it an unprecedented adversary.
However, since taking office, Rubio has supported Trump, who calls Chinese President Xi Jinping a friend, and has focused on building trade relations.
At the same time, last year Rubio brought some relief to Taiwan. He stated that the Trump administration would not negotiate the future of the self-governing democracy in order to conclude a trade agreement with China.
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