Rubio traveled to Beijing despite sanctions

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Beijing with President Donald Trump despite being under Chinese sanctions, which was made possible after China changed the transliteration of his name, AFP reported.

As a US senator, Rubio, now fifty-four years old and visiting China for the first time, fiercely advocated for human rights in China, which retaliated by imposing double sanctions on him – adopting a tactic that the United States more frequently uses against adversaries.

China found a diplomatic solution after Trump appointed Rubio as Secretary of State.

Shortly before taking office in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different Chinese character for "lu" to represent the first syllable of his surname.

Two diplomats said they believed China made the change because Rubio was under sanctions, which included an entry ban, under the old spelling of his name.

The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

A State Department official only confirmed that Rubio is traveling with Trump. Rubio was seen boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base.

Rubio, a Cuban-American of origin who fiercely opposes communism, was a key author of congressional legislation that imposed broad sanctions on China for its alleged use of forced labor of the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority, and he also spoke out against Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong.

At his confirmation hearing for Secretary of State, Rubio focused strongly on China, which he described as an unprecedented adversary.

But since taking office, Rubio has supported Trump, who describes his counterpart Xi Jinping as a friend, and has focused on building trade relations while downplaying human rights.

Last year, Rubio brought relief to Taiwan when he said the Trump administration would not negotiate the island's future to secure a trade deal with China.