Trump state secretary pick vows to confront China

WASHINGTON — Marco Rubio, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, said Wednesday that a “dangerous” China cheated its way to superpower status as he vowed to ramp up support to deter an invasion of Taiwan.

Rubio laid out his worldview to fellow senators at a confirmation hearing that took place just as Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in their 15-month war, a long-sought goal of US President Joe Biden’s outgoing administration.

Rubio, who is expected to secure confirmation easily, described China as “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever faced” and warned of drastic impacts if the United States does not act.

“If we stay on the road we’re on right now, in less than 10 years virtually everything that matters to us in life will depend on whether China will allow us to have it or not – everything from the blood pressure medicine we take to what movies we get to watch,” Rubio said.

He vowed to ramp up defense of Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing, to prevent a “cataclysmic military intervention.”

“We need to wrap our head around the fact that unless something dramatic changes, like an equilibrium (between China and Taiwan), where they conclude that the costs of intervening in Taiwan are too high, we’re going to have to deal with this before the end of this decade,” Rubio said.

“That’s an unacceptable outcome.”

The outgoing Biden administration has taken measures to block China’s access to semiconductor technology and kept in place some policies toward China from Trump’s first term, but Trump has said he will impose many more tariffs on Chinese goods.

Rubio has long been one of Congress’ leading advocates for a stronger China policy. His support for Hong Kong democracy protesters earned him Chinese sanctions in 2020, meaning he could be the first secretary of state under active Chinese travel restrictions.

He also said Washington must help the self-governing island of Taiwan with its so-called porcupine strategy to discourage an invasion by making it harder for China to attack.

Trump had raised questions during his campaign over Taiwan by insisting it does not pay enough for its own defense – similar criticism he has made of NATO allies.

Rubio distanced himself from talk of exiting NATO but said the United States needed to ask whether to retain “the primary defense role” in the alliance or be a “backstop to aggression,” with Europeans taking more responsibility.

A staunch backer of Ukraine after its invasion by Russia nearly three years ago, Rubio has allied with Trump in promising “bold diplomacy” that would require concessions on both sides.

“This war has to end, and I think it should be the official policy of the United States that we want to see it end,” Rubio said, a shift from Biden’s approach of supporting Ukraine through victory.

Rubio also backed the diplomacy that reached the Gaza ceasefire but made clear he will staunchly back Israel, after Biden’s occasional criticism of the toll on civilians.

Rubio rejected a key tenet of Biden’s foreign policy – prioritizing a rules-based, US-led “liberal world order” – in favor of Trump’s belief in “America First.”

“The postwar global order is not just obsolete; it is now a weapon being used against us,” Rubio said.

“We welcomed the Chinese Communist Party into this global order. And they took advantage of all its benefits. But they ignored all its obligations and responsibilities,” Rubio said. “Instead, they have lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense.”

Rubio is expected to increase Washington’s focus on the western hemisphere. He was critical of Biden’s decision this week to relax sanctions on Cuba, and said the decision to provide general licenses to Venezuelan oil company Chevron “needs to be re-explored,” which could signal stricter enforcement of US sanctions on Venezuela under Trump.

Rubio, the son of working-class Cuban immigrants, would become the first Hispanic and first fluent Spanish speaker to be the top US diplomat.

PAF chief in Palawan

Stressing the military’s commitment to protecting the country’s interests and sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura visited key facilities, including an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) site in Palawan earlier this week.

His visit also sought to check on the situation of troops and boost the morale of soldiers stationed at the Antonio Bautista Air Base (ABAB) in Palawan, Balabac Island and Pag-asa Island.

PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said Cordura conducted a two-day field visit to the areas on Jan. 14 and 15 to underscore the PAF’s commitment to national security and the well-being of its personnel.

The ranking official toured various facilities at ABAB and engaged personally with the troops as he presented the PAF’s command thrust, “FOCUS PAF,” outlining his strategic vision for the Air Force.

Castillo said this framework emphasizes Mission Essential Tasks as the core of operational readiness and defines the critical steps necessary for establishing a robust Integrated Air Defense System.

Cordura then visited Balabac Island, a strategic EDCA site “that plays a significant role in bolstering the country’s defense capabilities, promoting regional security and facilitating cooperation in humanitarian and disaster relief operations.”

Castillo said Cordura then visited Pag-asa Island in the WPS in an effort to “reaffirm the PAF’s unwavering dedication to protecting the nation’s sovereignty.”

He inspected the island’s facilities and interacted with the deployed troops, boosting their morale and reinforcing their vital mission.

Castillo said Cordura brought smiles and hope to the residents of Pag-asa Island by leading a gift-giving activity and distributing food packs to children.

“With the series of field visits, the PAF showcases its commitment to ensuring the readiness and welfare of its personnel while strengthening their mission to serve the country and its people, particularly in strategically important areas like Palawan and the West Philippine Sea,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard doubted China’s “genuine commitment to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea” as it continued to follow the so-called monster ship of the China Coast Guard (CCG).

PCG offshore patrol vessel BRP Gabriela Silang once again challenged the presence of CCG 5901, said to be the world’s largest coast guard ship at 165 meters and 12,000 tons, detected 60.1 nautical miles west of Capones Point in Zambales, according to a report last Thursday from PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela.

The PCG ship once again ordered CCG 5901 to “depart immediately and notify us of your intentions” as it violated Republic Act 12064 or the Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award.

The CCG vessel was in sight of the PCG ship, close enough for a person using his cell phone camera to see some features of the “monster ship,” including the bow number when zoomed in.