US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described China as both America’s top geopolitical challenge and its most important relationship to manage.
“It’s both our top political challenge, geopolitically, and it’s also the most important relationship for us to manage,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News airing on Wednesday.
“It’s a big, powerful country. It’s going to continue to grow, but we’re going to have interests of ours that are going to be in conflict with interests of theirs. To avoid wars and maintain peace and stability in the world, we’re going to have to manage those”.
Rubio’s remarks came aboard Air Force One en route to Beijing despite the Secretary being under Chinese sanctions.
Hormuz tensions
A diplomatic workaround appeared to hinge on Beijing altering the Chinese spelling of his name to allow the four-day visit.