The US Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary of state on 20 January 2025, unanimously voting in the Florida senator who sees China as the “biggest threat” to US security, hours after the inauguration of Trump for his second term as president.
Marco Rubio had often reiterated that: “China is a much bigger threat to America than the Soviet Union ever was to America and the world.”
Rubio introduced bills, made statements and worked with rights groups that were highly critical of China’s human rights record and growing influence around the world.
For that, Marco Rubio was barred from entering China. Instantly, the Chinese authorities was be put in a tough spot as Marco Rubio was confirmed as the new Secretary of State, the 5th in command in the US government.
- President
- Vice President
- Speaker of the House
- President Pro Tempore of the Senate
- Secretary of State
Is China going to ban the US Secretary of State from entering? Rubio won’t care but it would be awkward for China. 掩耳盗铃 is usually used to describe a foolish act of tricking oneself in the hope that it will also trick others. In this case, it might just work on China’s isolated cyberspace with the official media changing Rubio’s Chinese name from 卢比奥 to 鲁比奥. When questioned by reporters, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning was stumped and let out a awkward laugh, saying that his English name matters more.
What’s the game here? Change his name so that Chinese people will think that this Rubio is another Rubio- not the banned one so that America’s new Secretary of State can now enter China? A modern example of 掩耳盗铃.