China has changed the way US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's name is written. This was done to let him enter the country for a high-level meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Rubio was placed under sanctions in 2020 while serving as a US senator after criticising Beijing over its treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang and raising concerns about alleged human rights abuses. The measures included a ban on his entry into China.
To work around these restrictions, Chinese authorities and state media adjusted the transliteration of his surname, using a different Chinese character for the syllable “lu”.
China said on Tuesday that Rubio, now 54, and visiting the country for the first time, would not be blocked from entering alongside Trump on Air Force One. Trump is the first US President to visit China in nearly a decade.
“The sanctions target Mr. Rubio's words and deeds when he served as a US senator concerning China,” Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said, according to AFP.
The alteration in the name's written form served as a practical workaround, allowing the sanctions to be sidestepped without being formally withdrawn.
According to a report in NDTV, translating Western names into Chinese characters is not straightforward, 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.
Meanwhile, Trump reached Beijing on Wednesday for a closely watched summit with Xi Jinping aimed at easing tensions between the two global powers.
The US President and Xi are scheduled to meet on Thursday at Beijing's Great Hall of the People. Trump is also expected to visit the Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO World Heritage site once used by Chinese emperors for ceremonial prayers. The two leaders will attend a state banquet in the evening. On Friday, they are expected to hold tea and a working lunch before Trump departs, reported NDTV.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.