Wang Yi Shakes Hands with Rubio, Who Has Been Sanctioned by the CCP, Drawing Mockery

Rubio (left) and Wang Yi (right). (Composite image by People News)

[People News] In a recruitment advertisement video for Chinese intelligence agents by the CIA, the leaders of the CCP are referred to as "madmen." To save face, the CCP altered the name of U.S. Secretary of State Rubio to "Lü Biyou" to avoid the embarrassment of having "Rubio" on the sanctions list. Some netizens remarked, "This kind of shameless behaviour for the sake of appearances can only be carried out by a madman."

On February 13 local time, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, met with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio during the Munich Security Conference. In front of Rubio, who has been sanctioned by the CCP, Wang Yi asserted that "dialogue is better than confrontation, and cooperation is better than conflict" between China and the U.S., which led to ridicule from netizens. Rubio was sanctioned twice before taking office for criticising the CCP's human rights record. After he became U.S. Secretary of State, the CCP quietly changed his Chinese name to "Lü Biyou" to obscure the awkwardness.

According to a report by Reuters, this marks the second face-to-face meeting between Rubio and Wang Yi. Prior to their discussions, Rubio and Wang Yi shook hands and posed for photos, and then, accompanied by their respective teams, entered the hotel conference room to sit down face to face, ready to begin their talks. Neither party made any statements or responded to media questions.

It is noteworthy that U.S. President Trump is scheduled to visit China in April, raising questions about whether Rubio will accompany him. If he does, will the Chinese Communist Party grant him a visa? It appears that the sanctions imposed on Rubio, a hallmark of the CCP's wolf warrior diplomacy, have ultimately backfired, creating problems for the CCP itself.

In January 2025, former U.S. President Trump will return to the White House, eliciting both animosity and fear from the CCP. Rubio, who has been appointed as Secretary of State by Trump, is also a significant concern for the CCP. He has long been an advocate for human rights in China, and during his time as a Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, he was sanctioned by the CCP in July and August 2020 for condemning the repression of Uyghurs and Hong Kongers, and he was specifically named by state media. Despite Rubio's new role as Secretary of State in Trump's administration, the CCP has not lifted the sanctions against him.

Subsequently, observers noted a subtle change from the CCP. On January 16, 2025, the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a transcript of a press conference where Rubio's name was translated as '鲁比奥' (Lǔbǐ'āo). Previously, the CCP had consistently used '卢比奥' (Lúbǐ'āo) as the official translation.

On January 22, the day after Rubio was officially sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, CCP Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked whether the change from '卢比奥' to '鲁比奥' indicated that he was no longer under sanctions from China.

Mao Ning appeared somewhat embarrassed and responded, 'Oh, oh, I hadn't noticed, but I can look into it. However, I think what’s more important is his English name.'

Rubio frequently criticises the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Just a few days before Mao Ning awkwardly addressed this issue, on January 15, 2025, Rubio condemned the CCP during his opening remarks at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. He asserted that the CCP has attained global superpower status through suppression, lies, deception, hacking, and theft. 'All of this comes at the expense of our interests and the well-being of their own people.'

In August 2020, the CCP announced sanctions against six U.S. lawmakers, which included five senators and one representative, as well as the leaders of four organisations. Rubio was the first on the sanctions list. The CCP justified these actions by claiming that these lawmakers and organisational leaders had 'performed poorly' on issues related to Hong Kong, 'openly intervened in Hong Kong affairs, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs,' among other accusations.

In response to the sanctions, Rubio did not take them seriously. He remarked at the time, 'Last month, the CCP banned me from entering. Today, they announced sanctions against me. I don’t want to be overly sensitive, but I’m starting to feel like they don’t particularly like me.'

While the CCP did not provide specific details about the sanctions, some subsequent so-called counter-sanctions did disclose specific measures. For instance, the sanctions against U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern included: freezing movable and immovable property and other types of assets in China; prohibiting organisations and individuals within China from engaging in transactions or cooperation with him; and denying visas and entry to him, his spouse, and children.

The absence of specific measures in the 2020 sanctions may be attributed to the fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had not yet enacted the "Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law" at that time, which was passed in June 2021. Most of the sanctions announced afterwards have largely referenced this law.

However, the CCP likely feels fortunate that it did not impose sanctions back then; otherwise, had it denied Marco Rubio a visa and barred his entry, it would have only complicated matters for itself after Rubio assumed the role of Secretary of State.

Chen Yonglin, the former political consul at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney, previously stated to Radio Free Asia that the translation office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the translation office of Xinhua News Agency have very clear and standardised translations for foreign political figures. The changes in language used by CCP diplomats and state media are evidently the result of official discussions, serving to ease the situation and step back from earlier sanctions actions.

Chen Yonglin remarked: "(It is said) that the one who was sanctioned was Rubio, and this Rubio is the Secretary of State, this Rubio is not that Rubio. The CCP will not acknowledge its past actions; using 'Rubio' to extricate itself is actually unnecessary."

Wang Yi's recent meeting with Rubio in Munich has once again ignited heated discussions on the X platform.

Netizens commented: "The sanctioned individual is surnamed Lu, not Lu, and they are not the same person." "(The CCP) this is the logic of tightening the grip and then loosening it, pretending to be powerful, thinking it is truly the boss!" "The Party has managed to survive to this day by taking advantage of opportunities and shifting with the wind."

Some netizens commented, 'Rubio doesn't care about being sanctioned by the CCP,' and added, 'It all hinges on whether Rubio will accompany Trump on his visit to China this time. If he goes to China without lifting the sanctions, who really comes out on top?' 

Other users on various platforms remarked, 'When there's a need, he's 'Rubio', but when it comes to pursuing their own interests, he's 'Lu Bi Ao'. They should help him change his name; it's really the CCP that acts according to its own needs,' 'I've seen shamelessness before, but I've never seen anything as shameless as this,' and 'Rubio is regarded as one of the rising stars of the Republican Party; if he sets his sights on the presidency in the future, it will certainly be an interesting show.' △