Beijing Indicates It Will Speak to Rubio Despite Its Sanctions Against Him

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks after he was sworn in by Vice President JD Vance, in the Vice President's ceremonial office at the White House on Jan. 21, 2025. Allison Robert/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese communist regime has signaled it will communicate with the new U.S. secretary of state despite the regime’s sanctions against the Trump appointee, former Sen. Marco Rubio.

In 2020, the Florida senator, who is a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) human rights record, was targeted twice by Beijing’s retaliatory sanctions, after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed human rights sanctions on officials in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

Following his confirmation on Jan. 20, Rubio is now the first sitting U.S. secretary of state sanctioned by the Chinese regime.

Beijing also sanctioned former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Jan. 21, 2021—one day after Pompeo and the first Trump administration left office.

Speaking from Beijing on Jan. 20, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, did not answer a question on whether Beijing would drop its sanctions against Rubio.

Instead, he said: “China will firmly defend national interests. In the meantime, it’s necessary for high-level Chinese and American officials to maintain contact in an appropriate way.”

Rubio and Rubio

Meanwhile, in Beijing’s official Chinese-language transcript of its press conference, the regime quietly replaced one Chinese character used for Rubio’s name with a homophone. Chinese netizens responded after, saying that the regime was trying to minimize its embarrassment by making people think there are two different people.

In previous official statements on Rubio’s sanctions, the translation “卢比奥” was used, while the latest transcript referred to him as “鲁比奥.”

Commenting on X, Chen Yonglin, a former Chinese diplomat who defected to Australia, said, “This ‘Rubio鲁比奥’ is not that ‘Rubio卢比奥.’”

Chen suggested the new translation is a way for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to avoid the self-made dilemma.

Rubio’s Record on China

Rubio’s appointment was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20.

As senator, Rubio authored nearly 150 China-related bills, including bills on improving human rights in China; protecting American industrial power by limiting the CCP’s access to U.S. technology, capital, and federal tax credits; and countering the CCP’s influence and espionage in the United States.

He also served as the acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2020 and 2021, and chairman of the Joint China Commission between 2017 and 2019.

On human rights in China, Rubio’s work has resulted in significant U.S. laws in the area, including addressing the CCP’s genocide of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang and the erosion of Hong Kong’s democracy and its rule of law.

He also introduced the Falun Gong Protection Act in the Senate in July 2024, targeting those responsible for China’s state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience, including practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline with teachings based on the tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. The CCP has severely persecuted Falun Gong for more than 25 years.

Beijing Previously Blocked Engagement Following US Sanctions

Beijing previously refused to engage with the U.S. Defense Department’s communication requests, citing U.S. sanctions against China’s then-Defense Minister Li Shangfu.

In 2018, the Trump administration sanctioned Li, an aerospace expert, for allegedly buying Russian weapons when he headed the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese military.

After Li became defense minister, his department refused requests to speak with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon chief told a Senate panel in May 2023.

The CCP demanded that Washington lift its sanctions against Li, but the Biden administration dismissed the request.

Li disappeared from public view five months after his appointment and was officially removed from the post after another two months.

Terri Wu contributed to this report.