BEIJING — Secretary of State Marco Rubio boarded Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base for travel to Beijing with President Donald Trump, marking his first visit to China. Rubio is under sanctions imposed by Beijing, but Chinese authorities said they would not block him from entering the country because of his past actions.

Trump is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with trade, Taiwan, and artificial intelligence set to feature in discussions. Rubio was the key author of congressional legislation that imposed wide sanctions on China over the alleged use of forced labor by the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority, and has spoken out against Beijing's clampdown in Hong Kong.

"The sanctions target Mr Rubio's words and deeds when he served as a US senator concerning China," Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. At his confirmation hearing as secretary of state, Rubio described China as an unprecedented adversary.

A Cuban-American who opposes communism, Rubio has since taking office supported Trump and focused on building a trade relationship with China while placing less emphasis on human rights issues. Last year, he said the Trump administration would not negotiate over Taiwan's future to secure a trade deal with China.

Shortly before Rubio took office in January 2025, the Chinese government and official media began using a different Chinese character for "lu" to represent the first syllable in his surname. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she would look into the change in the transliteration of his name.