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

The regime did not lift its sanctions against Rubio, but quietly changed the translation of his name, a move said to be an attempt to minimize embarrassment.

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.

Also commenting on X, Yi Fuxian, a U.S.-based researcher known for his opposition to the CCP’s one-child policy, wrote: “U.S. senator Rubio was banned in China. Now that he’s the secretary of state, China has to interact with him. But to save face, [it] doesn’t reverse its sanctions, but changes his name to ‘鲁比奥’ in the Foreign Ministry’s press conference.

“That is to say, the sanctioned one is ‘Rubio卢比奥,’ the one [they] interact with is ‘Rubio鲁比奥.’”

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.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/...eyMeAHspy%2BR6sGI%3D

I don’t think they have any other options. I realize we are fully intertwined with them via trade and manufacturing. Remember early Covid when essential items were hard to get, Trump said we need incentives to get manufacturing moved back here, maybe now we can work on it

Trade adjustment is our big stick with China.

Kinda frustrating as we send $$ to China for ‘green energy’ components as they build many conventional power plants. While they do that, we saddle ourselves with mandates that lead to higher energy prices. That all needs to stop.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
“This ‘Rubio鲁比奥’ is not that ‘Rubio卢比奥.’”

It's a distinction with no real difference. "卢" is the simplified way to write that character, being the lazy commies they are. "鲁" is the traditional way still favored by the rest of the hard-working, freedom-loving regions like Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In a way, Little Marco Rubio is being recognized as an advocate for freedom.

I guess it’s their way of saying the Emperor is never wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
I don’t think they have any other options. I realize we are fully intertwined with them via trade and manufacturing. Remember early Covid when essential items were hard to get, Trump said we need incentives to get manufacturing moved back here, maybe now we can work on it

Trade adjustment is our big stick with China.

The biggest trade partners pre-WW2 and WW1 tried to erase each other from the planet during the war.

Trade does not equal peace.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
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.

I wonder if CCP-USA, otherwise known as the DNC, will try to do that with President Trump. The Donald Trump that ran for President and is a fascist dictator who will end elections can't be the same Donald Trump with whom Obama smiles and laughs, or the same Donald Trump that Pedo-Joe greeted warmly and stood with for the peaceful transfer of power, and fondly said goodbye to as he boarded the helicopter.


.

^^^ That was Dawneaux Trump.

I didn't know communist China had a heart.

So if China sanctions Rubio, how would they do it ? Revoke his Netflix account ? He's an outstanding public servant not an oligarch. Splain it.

China needs its people fed and working. Factories closing and people unemployed, makes a perfect recipe for a revolution.
AND the Tariffs are coming. Makes a Huge problem for the Chi-Coms.

quote:

Revoke his Netflix account?

His TicTok account.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
... we send $$ to China for ‘green energy’ components ... That all needs to stop.

Definitely. "Green" anything is a self-destructive scam perpetuated by grifters and fools. No more socialized "green" extortion via countries who do nothing with the quadzillions of $$ we send. They do nothing except split the money among their cheap, low rent totalitarian oligarchy/politburo/whatever/whomever.