China hacked and cheated its way to superpowerdom: Rubio

Marco Rubio, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, says China cheated its way to superpower status.

Senator Marco Rubio says it’s time to discard the ‘liberal world order’. Picture: AFP

Marco Rubio, Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, says China cheated its way to superpower status and the “liberal world order” long cherished by the US elite should be discarded.

Senator Rubio was scheduled to face fellow senators at his confirmation hearing overnight on Wednesday in what was likely to be among the least contentious sessions for Mr Trump’s nominees.

In excerpts from his opening remarks, Senator Rubio lays aim at China – which outgoing President Joe Biden has also called a competitor but nevertheless sought to engage.

The longtime hawk firmly ­rejects a key tenet of Mr Biden – prioritising a ruled-based, US-led “liberal world order” – in favour of Mr Trump’s belief in “America First”.

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

“Instead, they have lied, cheated, hacked and stolen their way to global superpower status, at our expense.”

While highlighting China, Senator Rubio also says in “Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang, dictators sow chaos and instability”.

Senator Rubio calls for a foreign policy driven solely by whether decisions make the US safer, stronger and more prosperous.

“While America far too often continued to prioritise the ‘global order’ above our core national interests, other nations continued to act the way countries always have and always will, in what they perceive to be in their best ­interest.”

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

Other nominees facing Senate hearings on Wednesday included Pam Bondi, tapped for the top law enforcement job of attorney-­general, who served the same role in Florida and personally ­defended Mr Trump during his first impeachment trial. Mr Trump named her after his first choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew following allegations he paid for sex, including with an underage girl, at drug-fuelled parties.

Little controversy surrounds Senator Rubio, a three-term senator generally well-liked by his colleagues and known for his ease in public appearances. He clashed bitterly with Mr Trump when he challenged him for the 2016 nomination – with the future president mocking him as “Little Marco” – but he has come back into good graces.

He is expected to get to work quickly, with sources saying preparations are under way for an immediate four-way meeting next Tuesday in Washington with Senator Rubio’s counterparts from the Quad: Australia, India and Japan.

The Quad has long been seen by China as a US-led platform for the four democracies to encircle it, despite Quad leaders’ denials.

Senator Rubio’s appearance comes a day after the Biden ­administration announced it was removing Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a deal that will free imprisoned protesters (see story below).

Another nominee set for a Senate hearing on Wednesday was Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary. As governor of South Dakota, she raised her profile among Trump supporters with her opposition to Covid pandemic restrictions, but later raised controversy by revealing in a memoir how she killed her family’s dog.

Some of the most potentially fiery Senate hearings are yet to be scheduled.

AFP