US Secretary of State's Name Spelling Changed to Allow Entry into China
Foreign Minister Marco Rubio accompanied US President Donald Trump on a historic visit to Beijing, China. Rubio, who is under Chinese sanctions, was able to enter due to a change in the spelling of his name.
According to AFP on Friday (15/5/2026), Rubio is known for staunchly advocating human rights in China during his time as a Senator. China responded by imposing sanctions on him twice.
China stated that it would not obstruct Rubio, now 54 years old, from visiting China for the first time. The Chinese side described the sanctions as targeting Rubio’s statements and actions during his tenure as a US Senator regarding China.
“The sanctions target Mr Rubio’s statements and actions when he served as a US Senator related to China,” said spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, Liu Pengyu.
China is said to have found a diplomatic way out after Trump appointed Rubio as Secretary of State and his national security adviser. Shortly before he took office in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began transliterating the first syllable of his surname with different Chinese characters for ‘lu’.
Two diplomats believe this change is a quick way for China to avoid enforcing sanctions against Rubio, who is banned from entry under his old name spelling. A US State Department official only confirmed that Rubio is travelling with Trump.
Rubio’s presence on Air Force One quickly drew attention for another reason after the White House released a photo of him relaxing in Nike sportswear similar to that worn by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro when US forces captured him. Rubio, a Cuban-American descendant, has vocally opposed communism and was the lead author of congressional legislation imposing broad sanctions on China over alleged use of forced labour by the Muslim-majority Uyghur minority.
Beijing has strongly denied those allegations. Rubio has also spoken out against Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
During his confirmation hearing as Secretary of State, Rubio focused heavily on China, which he described as an unprecedented adversary. However, since taking office, Rubio has supported Trump, who portrays Xi Jinping as a friend and focuses on building trade relations while ignoring human rights.