US President Donald Trump has traveled to Beijing for a visit. He held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present at the meeting—despite the fact that China had previously imposed sanctions against him, which effectively barred his entry into the country.
Questions are now being widely discussed regarding why China imposed sanctions on Rubio in the first place, how he managed to travel to Beijing as part of the presidential delegation despite the ban, and how he secured the opportunity to attend the crucial meeting between Trump and Xi.
On Thursday morning, Donald Trump held a meeting with President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s historic Great Hall of the People. Rubio was present at the meeting alongside Trump’s other accompanying delegates. But how was this possible?
Al Jazeera reports that China itself devised a solution to facilitate the Beijing visit of Rubio, who remains under sanctions. To achieve this, the country—true to form—adopted a diplomatic workaround. By assigning him a new Chinese name, they granted him permission to enter the country while technically keeping the sanctions against him in force.
The year was 2020. Rubio had not yet become Secretary of State; he was serving as a US Senator. It was during that period that Beijing imposed sanctions against him. That sanctions list also included several other members of the US Congress, including Ted Cruz.
At the time, it was stated that sanctions were imposed on Rubio and others due to their harsh criticism of China’s policies regarding Hong Kong and the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang. Consequently, they were prohibited from visiting China.
Time has since passed. Trump has returned to the White House. This time, he selected Rubio to serve as his Secretary of State. Now, he is visiting China. Could the President possibly undertake such a diplomatic tour without his Secretary of State by his side?
The potential complications surrounding Rubio joining the presidential delegation had been anticipated in advance. Last March, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that if Rubio wished to accompany President Trump on his visit, the sanctions against him would be relaxed as necessary.
On March 16, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Lin Jian, told reporters that China had originally imposed sanctions on Rubio in response to his rhetoric and actions regarding China during his tenure as a US Senator.
