Donald Trump belittled him as “Little Marco” and “choke artist”, only to nominate him as his US secretary of state. The incoming president even described Marco Rubio as “a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries”.
Rubio’s appointment as arguably the most powerful diplomat in the world will likely reshape American foreign policy towards allies and rivals alike—and dealing with China’s continued economic, diplomatic and military rise is set to be one of his top priorities.
That Trump moved swiftly to staff his foreign policy and national security team with China hawks is an indication that relations between the two superpowers will deteriorate further. Alongside Rubio as secretary of state, the team, although it’s still taking shape, already includes Congressman Mike Waltz as national security adviser and John Ratcliffe as head of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Trump is making “no secret of his intention” to take a hard line on China, says Swaran Singh, diplomacy and disarmament expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
This is evident from his threat to impose 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports and his decision to pick China hawks for his cabinet, Singh adds.
“Rubio’s appointment to one of the most important positions is significant,” he tells The Independent. “There is palpable anxiety in China because they will not only have to deal with an unpredictable Trump but a myopically China-focused administration.”
All of Trump’s picks thus far are either focused on security and military in their thinking or are China hawks or critics to varying degrees, he argues.
“The focus of Trump 2.0 would be on MAGA, to Make America Great Again, and in that the clear challenge is China,” Singh says.
Rubio, 53, will be the first sitting US secretary of state, once he is confirmed by the Senate, to have been sanctioned by Beijing.
Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and served on its Foreign Relations Committee, where he presented himself as a foreign policy hawk and an outspoken critic of China, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in particular.
He was sanctioned by Beijing along with other US senators in 2020 for introducing measures against senior Chinese officials over their alleged human rights abuses of ethnic minorities, particularly the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim group in Xinjiang.
He played a key role in introducing legislation, like the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, aimed at preventing goods allegedly made with forced labour in Xinjiang from entering the US and accused Beijing of a “grotesque campaign of genocide” against the Uyghurs.
He was sanctioned the second time for advocating US sanctions against Chinese officials for their response to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Rubio may have seemed unbothered about the largely symbolic Chinese sanctions that prevent him from travelling to the country, but it remains to be seen if they will hinder his ability to conduct diplomacy with Beijing.
