China exercises linguistic license to allow sanctioned Rubio into country

Beijing didn’t address the change when asked. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told Chinese media last year that she “had not noticed it but would look into it.”

In more recent comments, Chinese Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said Rubio wouldn’t be blocked from entering China, as the sanctions were over his actions toward China while he was a senator.

Rubio was one of the most outspoken voices in the Senate against the Chinese government, but his tone has softened in line with the Trump administration’s stance toward the country.

While the change in spelling of Rubio’s name is perhaps the most notable, it’s common for Western figures to have multiple transliterations of their names, as the process of converting Western names into Chinese characters isn’t standardized. This often changes their pronunciation — President Donald Trump is alternatively called telangpu and chuanpu, the Guardian reported.

Rubio further drew attention on the flight to China over his choice of outfit — a grey Nike tracksuit resembling the same one former Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro was wearing when he was captured from Caracas by U.S. Delta Force commandos.