BEIJING: In a diplomatic twist that has drawn widespread attention, China reportedly used a technical change in the Chinese rendering of United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s name to allow him to accompany President Donald Trump on a high-level visit to Beijing despite existing Chinese sanctions against him.
US President Trump arrived in the Chinese capital with a senior delegation and received a warm welcome from Chinese officials.
Rubio, a longtime critic of China, has faced sanctions from Beijing over statements and actions he took as a US senator.
According to diplomatic sources, rather than formally lifting the sanctions, Chinese authorities adopted a different Chinese transliteration of Rubio’s name. The move allowed him to enter the country while leaving the original sanctions technically in place.
The workaround meant Rubio was effectively able to travel under an alternate Chinese rendering of his name, preserving both China’s sanctions policy and the protocol required for a major diplomatic visit.
Two diplomats told AFP that because the earlier Chinese spelling of Rubio’s name appeared on the sanctions list, using a different transliteration created sufficient diplomatic flexibility.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said the sanctions were tied to Rubio’s actions as a senator and did not apply in the same way to his current role as secretary of state.
Multiple Chinese transliterations for foreign names are not unusual. Trump himself is commonly referred to by more than one Chinese rendering in official and popular usage.
The episode highlights the creative diplomatic measures governments sometimes employ to balance political positions with practical statecraft.
