"US secretary of state Marco Rubio is heading to Beijing with president Donald Trump despite being under Chinese sanctions a breakthrough that might have been made possible after China changed his name's transliteration. As a US senator, Rubio, who is visiting China for the first time, fiercely championed human rights in China, which retaliated by imposing sanctions on him twice adopting a tactic more often used by the US against adversaries."
"Shortly before he took office in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different Chinese character for lu to represent the first syllable in his surname. Two diplomats told the AFP news agency they believed that China made the change because Rubio was under sanctions, which included an entry ban, under the old spelling of his name."
"Asked about the change last year, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that she had not noticed it but would look into it, according to Chinese state media. Mao said that Rubio's English name was more important. It's not unusual for western public figures to have more than one Chinese transliteration of their names. The process for translating western names into Chinese characters is not always standardised."
"Trump is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping with trade, Taiwan and AI all set to feature in discussions. A state department official confirmed only that Rubio was travelling with Trump. Rubio was seen boarding Air Force One at Andrews air force base."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to Beijing with President Donald Trump despite being under Chinese sanctions. Rubio previously championed human rights in China as a US senator, and China imposed sanctions on him twice, including an entry ban. Two diplomats said China likely changed the Chinese character used for the first syllable of Rubio’s surname after Trump appointed him secretary of state. Chinese government and official media began using a different transliteration shortly before Rubio took office in January 2025, which they believed helped bypass the sanctions entry ban under the old spelling. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said she had not noticed the change and would look into it, adding that Rubio’s English name mattered. Trump also has multiple Chinese transliterations. Rubio’s trip is expected to focus on trade, Taiwan, and AI with Xi Jinping.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]