Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave remarks at the State Department on Jan. 21 in Washington, D.C., after being sworn into office earlier that day.

China indicated that sanctions on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wouldn’t impact official exchanges, in a sign that Beijing seeks to negotiate with the Trump administration over trade and other disputes.

Rubio called China the "most potent, dangerous adversary" during his confirmation and is expected to work with India, Japan, and Australia to counter this.

Beijing’s lack of clarity about whether it will lift sanctions previously placed on Marco Rubio — the new U.S. secretary of state and a China hawk — has sparked speculation on Chinese social media about whether Rubio will become the first American diplomat in his position who can’t visit China.