China receives Rubio as 'Marco Lu' in unusual diplomatic workaround of sanctions
The change allowed Beijing to receive Rubio under the name “Marco Lu” without formally lifting sanctions tied to his original Chinese-language name
China used an unusual linguistic workaround to allow US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to enter the country for a summit with President Donald Trump, despite sanctions Beijing imposed on him in 2020 remaining formally in place.
In official documents related to the visit, Chinese authorities altered the transliteration of Rubio's surname, using a different Chinese character pronounced "Lu" for the first syllable of his name, according to sources familiar with the arrangements, says Al Jazeera.
The change allowed Beijing to receive Rubio under the name "Marco Lu" without formally lifting sanctions tied to his original Chinese-language name, the sources said.
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Rubio travelled to Beijing alongside Trump for high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking one of the most closely watched meetings between the world's two largest economies amid continuing tensions over trade and security issues.
China sanctioned Rubio twice in 2020 when he was a Republican senator from Florida, citing his criticism of Beijing's policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Rubio had spoken out against China's crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and was a leading supporter of the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, a US law requiring companies to prove imports from Xinjiang were not produced with forced labour.
Chinese Foreign Ministry officials indicated in March 2025 that Beijing was willing to relax restrictions to allow Rubio to participate in the state visit, according to the sources.
A ministry spokesperson said at the time that the sanctions targeted Rubio's "words and deeds" during his tenure as a senator rather than his current position in the Trump administration.
The workaround enabled Rubio to attend meetings in Beijing, including talks with Xi, without China formally rescinding the sanctions.
The sanctions continue to remain in force and could be enforced again in the future because Beijing did not issue a formal pardon or repeal, the sources said.
The sources did not specify whether the sanctions include financial penalties or asset freezes. They indicated, however, that the measures include restrictions preventing Rubio from entering China under normal circumstances.
Neither Rubio, Trump nor the US State Department publicly commented on the revised transliteration used for the visit, according to the sources.
