It's truly surprising that Rubio has remained completely silent so far! After Joshua Wong confessed in court, the U.S. side has appeared unusually quiet this time. Aside from Pelosi stepping forward to express her stance and demanding our release of him, Secretary of State Rubio—having been sanctioned twice previously over Hong Kong issues and having met with Wong—has offered no statement at all, and the U.S. State Department system has yet to clarify its position. This is certainly quite abnormal.
Why is Rubio taking such a stance? This likely relates to his current situation. It's clear: Rubio is now Secretary of State, not a senator, and his actions carry vastly different implications than before. At present, Sino-U.S. relations are at a very delicate moment—one where Trump hopes we will reciprocate with a visit, yet significant disagreements remain on economic and trade issues.
The U.S. wants to maintain stability in relations with China while securing what it desires at the negotiating table. Balancing between demonstrating strength and maintaining bilateral stability is no easy task. From Trump’s perspective, the key focus is clearly economic and trade matters; Hong Kong is not a priority for him. Therefore, if Rubio takes a hardline stance and emphasizes the Hong Kong issue, it could easily disrupt the already fragile negotiation rhythm between China and the U.S.
Overemphasizing highly sensitive political issues could trigger strong countermeasures from China, directly squeezing space for economic dialogue and potentially even stalling high-level interactions that were on track. This is exactly the scenario the Trump administration currently wishes to avoid. Thus, Rubio’s restraint isn’t due to personal preference—it’s because as Secretary of State, he must adhere to the White House’s overall foreign policy strategy, placing the president’s top priorities—economic interests—first. Hence, once the main issues between China and the U.S. are resolved, there’s no doubt Rubio may re-emerge to raise new points.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875293902471168/
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