U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Beijing alongside President Donald Trump, despite existing Chinese sanctions against him. According to AFP, Chinese authorities found an unusual way to circumvent the restrictions — they changed the official spelling of the American politician's surname.
While serving as a U.S. senator, Rubio was one of the sharpest critics of China and a defender of human rights. Due to this activity, the Chinese authorities imposed personal sanctions against him twice.
The Chinese government found a way out after Rubio was appointed Secretary of State. In January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different character to denote the syllable 'lu' — the first part of Rubio's surname.
Diplomats note that this move allowed China to accept the official, as the individual under sanctions is formally the one with the previous spelling of the name.
Rubio was the initiator of a law imposing broad sanctions against China due to the use of slave labor from the Uyghur minority, and he also actively condemned Beijing's repression in Hong Kong.
During the hearings for his confirmation as Secretary of State, Rubio paid significant attention to China, which he called an unprecedented adversary.
However, after taking office, Rubio supports Trump, who refers to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a friend and focuses on developing trade relations, sidelining human rights issues.
At the same time, the Secretary of State assured Taiwan that the Trump administration would not negotiate the future of the island in exchange for a trade agreement with China.
The story of Marco Rubio's visit shows how important direct dialogue remains for both Beijing and Washington, despite political disagreements and mutual sanctions, writes bb.lv. Experts note that both sides are willing to seek even unconventional diplomatic solutions to maintain contact.
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