In a bold-move last week Donald Trump picked Marco Rubio - a China-sanctioned senator for Secretary of State position which hints at upcoming policy shifts. The selection (along with Mike Waltz as national security adviser and John Ratcliffe for CIA) shows clear break from current soft-touch approach
The Cuban-American senators background makes him unique choice: hes got active travel restrictions from Beijing since early 2020s and strong track-record of pushing back against Chinese policies. His work includes support for Hong Kong democracy movement; strict export controls implementation; and close Taiwan cooperation
Weʼre obviously really excited and look forward to working with him on these issues
Trade relations might see big changes - Trump wants to remove Chinas favored-nation status and put 60% tariffs on imports. Rubio already co-wrote laws that block products made with Uyghur forced-labor‚ and pushed for tech-export limits to China
The senators pro-Taiwan stance is clear: during Trumps first term US sold $18-bil worth of weapons to Taiwan - more than double what current administration did. Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu kept it diplomatic saying Beijing wants stable relations; but some experts think China might try working with Trump directly instead of dealing with Rubio