Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) addressed concerns about his long-standing vocal stance against atrocities committed by communist China during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday after being nominated to be secretary of state. Ta.
President-elect Donald Trump selected Rubio became top diplomat shortly after winning the November election and described him as “a highly respected leader and a very strong voice for freedom.” The topics the senators discussed with Rubio during Wednesday's hearing spanned the continent, ranging from the relationship between the United States and Communist China to espionage to intellectual property theft to the colonization of Africa. threat activity has repeatedly emerged as a top priority for the incoming administration. State Department Leadership.
During question period, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) raised the Chinese government's long-standing and bitter opposition to Sen. Rubio and his policies, which ultimately led to the country banning him from entering the country in 2020. It became. There was time to question the usefulness of sanctions in general, and then he expressed hope that Sen. Rubio, as Secretary of State, would move away from constructive engagement and not antagonize China.
“People think of sanctions as a way to coordinate behavior,” Sen. Paul said. “I think it rarely works, and I think we're piling on more and more… They're working as a kind of punishment, but I don't think they're going to deter Russian actions or I don’t think I’ve changed anything.”
The senator said that the “threat of sanctions” can be “just as powerful as the threat of tariffs,” but that “once a sanction or tariff is imposed, it only affects someone's actions if you lift it.” I think it will have an impact,” he said.
Beyond the sanctions issue, where Sen. Paul has expressed support for proposing sanctions relief for Russia in exchange for a halt to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the last time in recent memory the State Department has It suggested more broadly that it had become too belligerent.
“It's become an extension of the war and military branch, rather than the diplomatic branch that it should be, and we're showing how strong we are through the State Department,” said Senator Paul. “But the fact is that when you hear bellicose statements from other parts of the government, I think the State Department is going to show up and still try to have a dialogue.”
Sen. Paul recalled to Sen. Rubio, “In the past, I was banned from traveling to China because of my comments.'' “My hope is that you think about a different way of doing business than just saying, 'Let's sanction everyone, let's call people names we don't like,' because I don't think that's helpful, Because I think it will actually benefit you.'' The situation gets worse. ”
Sen. Paul asked Sen. Rubio to discuss the “carrots” he said he might offer to China to improve relations.
Sen. Paul was referring to sanctions imposed by the Chinese government in 2020 against Sen. Rubio and 10 other prominent U.S. politicians. Rubio and his colleague Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who also attended Wednesday's hearing, were the most prominent public officials on the list. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained the sanctions at the time by officially stating that Senator Rubio and his colleagues “acted inappropriately on Hong Kong-related issues.”
In 2019, Hong Kong experienced a historic wave of anti-communist demonstrations in response to the Chinese government's attempt to illegally impose communist laws under the then-active “one country, two systems” policy. Senators Rubio and Cruz, as well as other officials from both parties, supported the protests. China eventually unofficially ended “one country, two systems” and crushed the protests by enacting a “national security” law in 2020 that made dissent illegal.
“Last month, China banned me. Today they gave me sanctions. I don't mean to be paranoid, but I'm starting to think they don't like me,” Rubio said. joked in 2020 following a second wave of sanctions to punish his advocacy for victims of communism.
The Secretary of State-designate addressed both the negative assessment of sanctions policy and the implication that he has been too critical of China during Wednesday's hearing.
“They've said some mean things about me, too, but I don't know if they're my fans,” Rubio said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
“My role now as Secretary of State is to lead this country's foreign affairs department, and that includes engaging with them,” he continued, adding that he has a “mature and wise approach to dialogue with China.” ” approach.
“Despite what I have said, I have consistently argued throughout my career that there is a growing geopolitical imbalance. [between China and America] That is the greatest risk to global security and prosperity,” Sen. Rubio added, “because it could quickly lead to not just trade and economic conflict, but devastating armed conflict.” .
“Certainly we will have to deal with China,” he asserted, but added: “What cannot continue to happen is that China continues to assume all the benefits of the international system and none of the obligations. ” he added.
Regarding the issue of sanctions. Sen. Rubio said sanctions are one of the few peaceful options in the diplomatic “toolbox” for dealing with malign foreign behavior outside of military action. In contrast to Sen. Paul, who is skeptical about the use of sanctions, he pointed to the onerous sanctions against Iran, the world's largest sponsor of terrorism, as an example of successful sanctions.
“There is no question that if the Iranian regime had more money because there were no sanctions, they would have spent more on Hezbollah, Hamas, their missile programs, the Houthis, etc.,” he asserted. It's worth it in that respect. ”
