By Patricia Zengerle, Simon Lewis (JO:), Doina Chiacu and Michael Martina
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senator Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, warned on Wednesday that the U.S. must change course to avoid becoming more dependent on China, as he has promised a strong foreign policy focused on American interests.
The comments from the Republican senator, who is expected to comfortably win confirmation as the country’s top diplomat, sent a stark message about changes in US policy.
Rubio, 53, addressed major international issues in a friendly hearing before a committee where he has served for 14 years. He said the end of the war in Ukraine was important to both sides who had to make concessions, but spoke more strongly about having to deal with China. Rubio’s nomination is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as January 20, the day Trump is inaugurated for a second term.
Rubio said that dealing with China will involve building US domestic industrial capacity.
“If we continue on the path we’re on now, in less than 10 years, almost everything important to us in life will depend on whether or not China will let us have it. Everything from blood pressure medicine to we take. , what movies we watch, and everything in between, we depend on China for this,” Rubio said.
“That is an unacceptable outcome.”
The outgoing Biden administration took steps to block China’s access to semiconductor technology and maintained some Chinese policies from Trump’s first term, but Trump has said he will impose more tariffs on Chinese products.
Rubio has long been one of the leading advocates in Congress for a stronger China policy. His support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong earned him sanctions in China in 2020, meaning he could become the first secretary of state under China’s active travel restrictions.
He also said Washington should help the self-governing island of Taiwan with the so-called porcupine strategy to prevent an invasion by making it more difficult for China to attack.
Unless Washington makes “dramatic” changes, Rubio said, it will have to face the prospect of a “cataclysmic military intervention” in the Indo-Pacific before the end of the decade.
“We have to put our heads on the fact that unless there is a dramatic change, like a balance where they conclude that the costs of intervention in Taiwan are too high, we have to face this before the end of the decade, ” said Rubio.
WORLD IN CHAOS
In his opening statement, Rubio said he sees a world in chaos where it will not be easy to restore order.
“This would be impossible without a strong and a confident America engaging with the world, putting our core national interests once again above all else,” Rubio said.
The son of immigrants from Cuba, Rubio is the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as a top US diplomat.
He also said that strong US support for Israel will continue. “I’m confident in saying that President Trump’s administration will continue to be perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history,” he told senators, who learned about the Gaza ceasefire agreement in during the five-hour hearing.
Senators from both parties praised his nomination.
“You’ve got yourself one of the toughest jobs in America. But after serving with you for so many years, I’m confident you’re the right man. We have to deal with these threats,”
said Senator Jim Risch, the committee’s Republican chairman.
“I believe you have the skills and are well qualified to serve as Secretary of State,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top foreign relations Democrat, said.
Rubio’s friendly hearing stood in stark contrast to the grilling of other Trump nominees, such as former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, whose confirmation hearing Tuesday focused on culture war issues, not international ones. that policy.
UKRAINE WAR
Some of Trump’s top supporters see Rubio as out of step with Trump’s “America First” approach to government. Rubio is an opponent of Trump in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
But his views lately are more in line with the party leader.
Last year, Rubio was one of 15 Republican senators who voted against a massive military aid package to help Ukraine resist Russia, after voting in favor of aid in 2022. Trump has criticized military aid. Democratic President Joe Biden for Ukraine as it battles Russia and Rubio said he voted against the legislation because it did not include money to address immigration over the border. Mexico, a top Trump concern.
Rubio said that US policy must end the war, and said that reaching an agreement to stop the fighting would involve concessions from Moscow and Kyiv, suggesting that Ukraine should stop the his goal is to recover all the territory taken by Moscow in the last decade.
“I think it’s important that the Ukrainians have leverage, but they also have to make concessions to reach this agreement,” Rubio said.