"The Chinese government appeared to have used a diplomatic workaround to let the secretary of state in, transliterating the first syllable of his surname with a different Chinese character for lu. The name change to Marco Lu enabled Beijing to welcome Rubio without lifting the sanctions, which could be enforced on another occasion. The Chinese government and official media began transliterating Rubio's surname with a different Chinese character shortly before he took office as secretary of state in January 2025."
"How did United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio enter China despite being under sanctions by Beijing? Well, this became possible thanks to a linguistic workaround and diplomatic protocol by China, which had sanctioned Rubio twice when he was still a senator. Rubio accompanied US President Donald Trump on his first trip to China after Beijing changed the transliteration of Rubio's name."
"China's sanctions were aimed at Mr Rubio's words and deeds concerning China during his tenure in the United States Senate, Lin Jian, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on March 16. The sanctions date back to when Rubio served as a US senator in Florida, from 2019 up to his nomination to join Trump's administration. The Chinese government sanctioned him twice in 2020 for speaking out against Beijing's crackdown in Hong Kong, a former British colony that is demanding greater autonomy from China's grip."
Marco Rubio entered China during a state visit despite sanctions imposed by Beijing. China enabled the visit by altering the Chinese spelling of Rubio’s name in official documents, changing the first syllable of his surname through a different Chinese character for “lu.” The transliteration shift occurred shortly before Rubio became US secretary of state in January 2025. Chinese officials and media used the updated spelling during the visit, allowing Beijing to welcome him without removing the sanctions. Beijing’s sanctions targeted Rubio’s actions and statements regarding China while he served as a US senator from 2019 until his nomination in Trump’s administration. The sanctions were imposed twice in 2020 after Rubio criticized Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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