The Government of China announced this Friday that it will send its vice president, Han Zhengto the inauguration of the president-elect of the United States, donald trumpwhich will take place next Monday, January 20, in Washington, marking the first time that a senior Chinese official will participate in the inauguration of a new American president.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that Beijing “follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation when considering and developing its relationship with the United States,” according to a statement reported by the Xinhua news agency. .
“We are willing to work with the new US Government to improve dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship and find the right path for the two countries get along”he added.
Trump’s team said it had invited Xi to the event, an unusual move seen as a symbolic gesture because foreign heads of state do not typically attend US presidential inaugurations. The former president also expressed optimism about his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, stating that they had been in communication through representatives.
For his part, the Florida senator Marco Rubio received a warm welcome from his Senate colleagues Wednesday as he outlined his plans to implement President-elect Donald Trump’s “America First” vision as secretary of state.
“I hope I can earn their support, either because they think I would do a good job, or because they want to get rid of me.”Rubio joked in his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he served for 14 years.
But among the kindnesses, Rubio painted a grim picture of the dangers facing the United States, specifically Chinawhom he pointed out as the “greatest threat” to the nation.
For this reason, he blamed globalization, which he said “is now a weapon that is used against us.” He stated that the United States must begin to put “our fundamental national interests above all else.”
They were notable opening words for Rubio, who was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants and who, if confirmed, would become the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.
The confirmation hearing begins a new chapter in the political career of the 53-year-old Florida Republican, whose relationship with Trump has evolved over the past decade. Once rivals trading childish insults while campaigning for president in 2016, the two men became close allies as Trump campaigned for another term in the White House last year.
Rubio arrived in Washington as part of the wave of “tea party” in 2010 and once advocated for allowing a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. But like other Republicans, Rubio’s views on immigration have been shifting in favor of the tough stance of Trump, who has promised to aggressively pursue deportations once he takes office.
Unlike other Trump nominees, Rubio is expected to easily win confirmation, garnering support not only from Republicans but also Democrats who consider him a “responsible” choice to represent the United States abroad. Many expect him to be one of the first to be approved from Trump’s cabinet.
The Democratic Senator Brian Schatzwho served alongside Rubio in the Foreign Relations Committeeexpressed hopes that the Florida Republican would reject the isolationist approach of other Trump allies.
“I think Marco is a nationalist, but he is also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to maintain the long bipartisan tradition that the United States is indispensable in world affairs.”declared the Hawaii legislator to The Associated Press. “And there are Trump associates who want us to stop being the leaders of the free world. And I hope Marco’s instincts toward American strength prevail.”
Rubio’s approach to foreign affairs is informed by his years of service on the Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence panel. In his speeches and writings, he has issued increasingly stark warnings about growing military and economic threats to the United States, particularly from China, which he says has benefited from a “global world order” that he characterizes as outdated.
China, Rubio told the committee, has “lied, cheated, hacked and stole their way to global superpower status, at our expense.”
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday declined to comment on Rubio’s remarks.
If confirmed, Rubio will become the leader of US foreign policy, although his role will surely remain secondary to Trump, who relishes the global stage and frequently uses the bully pulpit against allies.
Even before taking office, Trump has caused anxiety in foreign capitals by threatening to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland and suggesting he will pressure Canada to become the nation’s 51st state.
Trump has won an “unequivocal mandate from the voters,” Rubio will say.
“They want a strong United States. Engaged in the world. But guided by a clear objective, to promote peace abroad, and security and prosperity here at home.”
The current administration’s decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism will likely irritate Rubio, who has long supported tough sanctions on the communist-ruled island.
Rubio’s office did not respond to multiple queries Tuesday about the senator’s reaction to that decision, which many believe will almost certainly be reversed by the Trump administration.
Secretaries of State have played a key role in formulating the country’s foreign policy since its founding, starting with the first, Thomas Jefferson, who served in the highest cabinet position under President George Washington.
Since then, Jefferson, as well as his 19th-century successors James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan, all were elected president.
More recent secretaries of state have been less successful in their political ambitions, including John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to President George W. Bush before becoming the top diplomat, and Hillary Clintonwho lost the 2016 election to Trump.
The most successful secretaries of state have been known for their closeness to the presidents they serve, notably James Baker under George HW Bush, Condoleezza Rice under George W. Bush, and to some extent Clinton under Barack Obama.
Like Clinton, Rubio was once a political rival of the president-elect who nominated him. However, the Clinton-Obama relationship during the 2008 Democratic primary was not as hostile as that between Trump and Rubio in the 2016 GOP primary, which was marked by personal insults and name-calling.
Trump had a contentious relationship with his first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Trump fired him in a social media post less than two years into his term.
(With information from Europa Press and AP)
