Pushed to This Extent by the United States! Xi and Rubio's Handshake Was Incredibly Awkward

Xi Jinping shook hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Beijing, and it was indeed very awkward! (Video screenshot)

[People News] Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping surprisingly smiled and shook hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently under 'sanctions' from the CCP, in Beijing. This has sparked significant reactions from the public. Some commentators suggest that this gesture symbolises the ineffectiveness of the CCP's sanctions against Rubio. Meanwhile, netizens have sarcastically noted that the red line has turned into a red carpet.

U.S. President Trump arrived in Beijing on the evening of May 13 for a state visit. On the morning of May 14, Trump held talks with Xi Jinping, who had arranged a grand welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People.

Xi Jinping greeted Trump with a broad smile and then shook hands with several senior U.S. government officials, including Secretary of State Rubio.

Rubio has previously angered the CCP by repeatedly criticising its human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The CCP has imposed sanctions on Rubio twice and banned him from entering China. However, in January 2025, after Rubio assumed the role of Secretary of State, the CCP's official and state media changed his name from 'Rubio' to '鲁比奥' (or '魯比歐') as a way to circumvent the previous sanctions, allowing him to visit China with Trump.

This time, Xi smiled and shook hands with Rubio in Beijing, which can be seen as a performance of 'the sanctioner and the sanctioned sharing the same stage.' Whether this caused any embarrassment for Xi is unknown to the outside world. Nevertheless, it further underscores the ineffectiveness of the CCP's sanctions against 'Rubio.'

In response, Chinese netizens ridiculed, saying: 'Sanctioned a light!' 'So desolate', 'I have two names', and 'Are you Rubio? No, you are not! I say you are not, so you are not!'

Similarly, Taiwanese internet celebrity host 'Ba Jiong', who is also under sanctions from the Chinese Communist Party and wanted globally, remarked on his personal channel 'Photography Diary': 'Before Rubio's visit, he shared a photo on social media wearing the same grey tracksuit as Maduro (the former Venezuelan president captured by the US military) at the time of his arrest. This indicates that Rubio has not changed his stance on China (the CCP). He is mocking Xi Jinping; didn't he say he would arrest me? I'm on my way. Go ahead and try to catch me.'

Before US Secretary of State Rubio's visit to Beijing, he donned the same tracksuit as the former Venezuelan president when he was captured by the US, mocking that Beijing's sanctions are merely a joke. (Video screenshot)

Ba Jiong's program has sparked a flurry of comments from netizens, with many expressing sentiments such as: "Having been sanctioned twice, they can just 'change a name' and enter the country," "This is truly a country governed by man; the party dictates everything," "Rubio boldly crossed the red line, and the CCP's red line has retreated once again," "The CCP has so many red lines that they weave into a red carpet," "The red line has become a red carpet, a hypocritical nation," "Rubio is recklessly stepping on it," "They only dare to criticize behind closed doors, but when Grandpa America arrives, they still have to give him a warm welcome," "The sanctioned individual has intruded; may I ask, are these sanctions made of paper?" "Rubio disregards the rules of martial virtue! He actually went! He even disembarked from the plane! And shook hands! What a blatant face-washing!" "The American fist is indeed larger than China's; China can only play the role of a little brother. "Rubio turned himself in wearing a prison uniform, the CCP knelt down, dared not take action against him, and still smiled while shaking hands. 

Chinese pro-democracy activist Wang Dan candidly remarked, "I suspect the CCP is awkwardly scratching its toes, but there's nothing they can do," "In this world, only the United States can push the CCP to this extent." △