Rubio is going to China with Trump despite sanctions: media reports reveal reason
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in China on Tuesday alongside President Donald Trump, despite the sanctions currently in place against him. According to media reports, the trip was made possible by using a different name.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing AFP.
Sanctions against Rubio
According to the publication, Rubio was a fierce advocate for human rights in China during his time as a U.S. senator. As a result, China imposed sanctions on him twice.
However, on Tuesday, China stated that it would not stand in the way of Rubio’s visit; this is his first trip to China, and he is traveling there with Trump aboard the presidential aircraft Air Force One.
"The sanctions are aimed at Rubio's words and actions regarding China during his tenure as a U.S. senator," explained Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy.
AFP notes that shortly before Rubio took office as secretary of state in January 2025, the Chinese government and state-run media began using a different character. This refers to the character for the first syllable of his surname, which means "Lu."
Rubio had previously been barred from entering China
Two diplomats said that, in their view, this change allows China to admit the official, since Rubio had previously been denied entry into the country when his surname was spelled the old way.
