Marco Rubio Says US Can’t Let Russia Become China’s ‘Junior Partner’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio mapped out US strategy for managing Russia's close relationship with China, saying Washington wants to dilute ties without sowing division between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

“I don't know if we'll ever be successful completely at peeling them off of a relationship with the Chinese,” Rubio told conservative media outlet Breitbart News, referring to Russia. “I also don't think having China and Russia at each other's neck is good for global stability because they're both nuclear powers.”

Donald Trump's recent embrace of Russia has been seen by some analysts as an attempt to split Moscow from Beijing, in a so-called “reverse Nixon.” President Richard Nixon's historic trip to China some 53 years ago undermined the Kremlin's global influence, and pulled Beijing closer to Washington, in a move that shifted the international balance of power for decades.

While President Xi Jinping's government has praised Russia for holding talks with Washington over ending the war in Ukraine, it's unclear what such a thaw means for Beijing. The Chinese leader and Vladimir Putin declared a “no limits” friendship days before the 2022 invasion and have united in opposing America on the world stage.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian pushed back against Rubio's comments, saying the relationship between Beijing and Moscow isn't influenced by any third party.

“The US attempt of sowing discord between China and Russia is doomed to fail,” he told reporters at a regular press conference in Beijing Thursday. “Both China and Russia have long-term development strategies and foreign policies. No matter how the international landscape changes, our relationship shall move forward at its own pace.”

‘Completely Dependent'

Rubio warned that closer ties between China and Russia would pose a problem for the US, if Moscow became the “permanent junior partner” to Beijing, pitting two nuclear powers against Washington. Access to Chinese markets have thrown Moscow an economic lifeline after US-led sanctions isolated Russia in recent years, while Xi has given Putin diplomatic shelter.  

“We could find ourselves in a situation where, whether Russia wants to improve its relations with the US or not, they can't because they've become completely dependent on the Chinese because we have cut them off,” Rubio said. “What's a better outcome for us is to have a relationship.”

Trump has performed a stunning reversal of US policy on Russia in recent weeks, blindsiding Europe by bringing Putin out of isolation to begin peace talks without including other stakeholders. The Republican president has been accused of parroting Kremlin talking points about the conflict, including blaming Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the war.

Xi reaffirmed his relationship with Putin last week on the third anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, telling the Russian that he welcomed positive efforts made by Moscow and relevant parties to resolve the crisis.

In a further sign that the Xi-Putin partnership remains intact, both leaders have signaled plans to visit each other's nations this year, while Trump has floated a trilateral meeting between all three men.

In his interview, Rubio characterized US-China relations as the “big story of the 21st century.” While he said Washington was going to have disagreements and confrontation with both Beijing and Moscow, Rubio stressed that maintaining a relationship with both was important.

“These are big, powerful countries with nuclear stockpiles. They can project power globally,” he said. “I think we have lost the concept of maturity and sanity in diplomatic relations.”