Florida Senator Marco Rubio conveyed a dark vision of the consequences of the United States' "unbalanced relationship" with China.
He echoed President-elect Donald Trump's anti-globalization rhetoric on Wednesday as he seeks confirmation as Secretary of State. He focused most of his remarks during a three-hour hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on warning that without a rapid and fundamental policy shift, China will remain the "greatest threat" to American prosperity in the 21st century.
"If we don't change course, we will live in a world where much of what matters to us in our daily lives, from our safety to our health, will depend on whether the Chinese let us have it or not," Mr. Rubio said.
Asked about NATO, the 75-year-old security organization that Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized, Mr. Rubio affirmed its value, calling it a “very important alliance.” But Mr. Rubio supported President-elect Trump’s view that some European allies should contribute more to their collective defense, adding that the United States must decide whether it wants “a primary role in defense” or “a supporting role” against aggression.
He said that “placing core national interests above all else is not political isolationism. A foreign policy focused on our national interests is not an outdated relic.”
"The post-war global order is not just outdated; it has now become a weapon used against us," says Mr. Rubio.
Marco Rubio, who was born in Miami and is the son of two Cuban immigrants, if confirmed, would become the first Secretary of State of Latin American descent.
The confirmation hearing opens a new chapter in the political career of the 53-year-old Republican from Florida, who was Mr. Trump's rival in the 2016 Republican primary. During that year's campaign, there was an exchange of insults between him and Mr. Trump, but their relationship improved after the 2016 election. They became close allies during Mr. Trump's campaign for a second term in the White House last year.
Marco Rubio first came to Washington as part of the Tea Party movement in 2010 and has in the past supported a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the country. But Mr. Rubio’s views on immigration have shifted closer to the hardline stance pursued by Mr. Trump, who has vowed to aggressively begin deporting undocumented immigrants as soon as he takes office on Monday.
Unlike many other candidates for President-elect Trump's cabinet, Rubio is expected to easily secure confirmation from the Senate, drawing support not only from Republicans but also from Democrats, who see him as a "responsible" choice to represent the United States abroad. He is expected to be among the first to receive approval to serve in Trump's cabinet.
Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, who served alongside Mr. Rubio on the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has high hopes that the Florida Republican will reject the isolationist approach of Mr. Trump's other allies.
“I think Marco is a hardliner, but he’s also an internationalist, and I think the challenge for him will be to preserve America’s long tradition of bipartisanship that is essential in world affairs,” the Hawaiian lawmaker said. “There are people in Mr. Trump’s camp who want us to give up our leadership role in the free world. And I hope Marco’s instincts for American strength will prevail.”
Mr. Rubio's approach to foreign policy is based on his years of service on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees. In his speeches and writings, he has issued increasingly stark warnings about growing military and economic threats to the United States, particularly from China, which he says has benefited from a "global world order" that he considers outdated.
If confirmed, Mr. Rubio will lead United States foreign policy, although his role will likely remain secondary to Mr. Trump, who relishes the global stage and often uses his platform against America's allies.
Before taking office, Mr. Trump caused anxiety in foreign capitals by threatening to invade the Panama Canal and Greenland and suggesting that he would pressure Canada to become the 51st state of the United States of America.
The decision by President Biden's administration to remove Cuba from the list of countries that support terrorism just days before the end of his term is likely to anger Mr. Rubio, who has long supported tough sanctions against the communist country.
Mr. Rubio's office did not respond to multiple requests Tuesday for comment on President Biden's decision on Cuba, which many analysts say is likely to be reversed by Mr. Trump's administration.
Secretaries of state have played a key role in formulating the country's foreign policy since its founding, starting with Thomas Jefferson, who served in the top cabinet post during President George Washington's term.
Jefferson, as well as his 19th-century successors, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Martin Van Buren, and James Buchanan, were all subsequently elected to the office of president of the country.
More recent secretaries of state have been less successful in their political ambitions, including former Senator John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential election to President George W. Bush before becoming Secretary of State, and former Senator Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 election to Mr. Trump.
The most successful secretaries of state have been known for their closeness to the presidents they served, notably James Baker during the term of President George H.W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice during the term of President George W. Bush, and, to some extent, Hillary Clinton during the term of President Barack Obama.
Like Mrs. Clinton, Marco Rubio was once a political rival of the President-elect who nominated him to the post. However, the Clinton-Obama relationship during the 2008 Democratic primary was not as hostile as the one between Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio in the 2016 Republican primary, which was marked by name-calling and personal insults.
Mr. Trump had a strained relationship with his first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Mr. Trump fired him from the post in a social media post less than two years into his term./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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