Marco Rubio joins Trump’s Beijing visit after Chinese name change workaround

BEIJING: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travelled to Beijing with President Donald Trump on his first visit to China after a diplomatic workaround allowed him to enter despite Chinese sanctions imposed during his time as a senator.

Rubio had previously been sanctioned twice by China for his criticism of human rights issues while serving in the US Senate. Those sanctions applied under an earlier Chinese transliteration of his name.

To facilitate his visit without formally removing the sanctions, Chinese authorities began using a different Chinese character for the first syllable of Rubio’s surname while keeping the pronunciation of lu. the move as a practical diplomatic solution that enabled Beijing to preserve the sanctions on paper while engaging with Rubio in his current position as secretary of state.

Before the visit, China said on Tuesday it would not prevent Rubio from entering the country aboard Air Force One with Trump. The trip marked the first time Rubio, now 54, had visited China. It also came during the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade.

The sanctions target Mr Rubio's words and deeds when he served as a US senator concerning China, Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said.

Two diplomats said they believed the change in the Chinese spelling of Rubio’s name provided an immediate way for China to avoid enforcing the sanctions, since he had been barred from entry under the previous version of his name.

A US State Department official confirmed only that Rubio was travelling with Trump.

Shift from Senate critic to top diplomat

Rubio had been known as a vocal critic of communism before taking office as secretary of state. Since assuming the role, he has backed Trump’s approach toward China. Trump has described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a friend and has concentrated on developing a trade relationship with Beijing.

The arrangement surrounding Rubio’s visit underscored the diplomatic balancing involved in high-level US-China engagement. China did not formally revoke the sanctions previously imposed on Rubio, but the altered transliteration of his name allowed officials to receive him in Beijing as part of the US delegation.

The workaround reflected a pragmatic approach by Chinese authorities as they managed both the political symbolism of sanctions and the practical demands of diplomacy during Trump’s visit.