China: Sanctions against Marco Rubio valid only during Senate tenure

Beijing – China’s Foreign Ministry stated that sanctions barring entry into China against United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio apply only to his position as a senator.

“The sanctions are related to Rubio’s statements and actions regarding China whilst he served as a senator,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian during a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

It is understood that on 10 August 2020, the Chinese government imposed a ban on entry into China against Marco Rubio whilst he was still serving as a Republican Party senator, along with several other Republican Party politicians.

Rubio and the Republican Party politicians were accused of “attempting to intervene in China’s internal affairs” by criticising human rights violations in Xinjiang.

Rubio, aged 54, who was first elected as a Senate member in 2010, is known for his hardline stance against Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and China. In the Senate, Rubio was among the most vocal critics of China, describing the country as a “threat that will define this century.” He also took a hardline position against Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

Beyond warning of national security risks, Rubio also sought to hold China accountable for human rights violations. In 2020, Beijing responded to Rubio’s criticism by banning him from entering the country.

Rubio stated that much of China’s growth has come at the expense of the United States, and “within less than 10 years, almost everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China allows us to have it or not—from the blood pressure medications we consume to the films we are allowed to watch.”

He also pledged to strengthen Taiwan’s defence, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing, to prevent “devastating military intervention.”

Rubio previously also spearheaded efforts to ban TikTok, arguing that the application spreads “pro-Hamas, anti-Israel propaganda” and poses an “existential threat to our nation.”