The lawmakers’ legislative records show a focus on human rights, American industrial power, and countering CCP influence and espionage.
WASHINGTON—Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) are set to have a unique opportunity to leave their footprint on President-elect Donald Trump’s China policy in the next four years. Trump selected Rubio as his Secretary of State and Waltz as his national security adviser.
Announcing his selections, the president-elect praised Rubio’s record in a statement, calling the senator a “very powerful voice for freedom” and “a strong advocate” for the United States. He said Waltz “will be a tremendous champion” of the administration’s policy of “peace through strength.”
Both known as China hawks, Rubio and Waltz have been vocal critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Here’s what we know about their views on China.
Overall Framework
It’s easy to sound tough on China in front of the press, but the Washington consensus to deter Beijing’s aggression “needs a lot more framework,” Rubio said in his March 2023 keynote speech after The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank, released a report titled “Winning the New Cold War with China.”
During his remarks, which systematically laid out his views, the senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that the U.S.–China conflict spans geopolitical, diplomatic, societal, technological, and commercial fronts, as well as competition in military capabilities.
“And we are in a conflict with a nation-state that doesn’t just seek to replace us, that doesn’t just seek to be the most powerful nation in the world, they seek to reorient the world,” Rubio said.
The senator’s China framework—reflected in his 14-year legislative record—includes improving human rights in China, protecting American industrial power by limiting the CCP’s access to U.S. technology, capital, and federal tax credits, and countering the CCP’s influence and espionage in the United States.
Following Rubio’s nomination as Secretary of State, his colleague on the foreign relations committee, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), said on social media platform X: “Senator Rubio possesses the acumen and judgment we need during this dangerous time.”
