US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting China with President Donald Trump, but that was only made possible after China changed how his name is written. After Rubio championed human rights in China as a US senator, the Asian country had retaliated by slapping sanctions on him twice.
However, now that Rubio is Trump’s secretary of state, China said on Tuesday that it would not block him.
“The sanctions target Mr Rubio’s words and deeds when he served as a US senator concerning China,” Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said.
Rubio was banned from entering China, so, finding a diplomatic workaround, the Chinese government and official media transliterated the first syllable of his surname with a different Chinese character for “lu”.
The name change was an immediate way for China to avoid implementing its sanctions.
Translating western names into Chinese characters is not a straightforward process, which is why many western public figures end up with more than one Chinese version of their name.
In fact, Trump also has two Chinese names – telangpu and chuanpu. The Chinese government and the media call him telangpu, but he is often referred to as chuanpu.
Trump Lands In Beijing For Summit With Xi
Trump landed in Beijing on Wednesday for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping aimed at easing deep tensions between the rival superpowers.
The Republican leader and Xi will hold talks at 7:30 am on Thursday in Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People. Trump will also visit the historic Temple of Heaven, a world heritage site where China’s emperors once prayed for a good harvest.
The leaders will then enjoy a state banquet in the evening.
On Friday, they are set to have tea and a working lunch before Trump heads home.
