I think Secretary of State Marco Rubio is getting under China's skin a little bit. 

To commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Rubio posted the following on X:

He also released a longer statement via the State Department: 

In the spring of 1989, tens of thousands of students gathered in Beijing’s largest public square to mourn the passing of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who tried to steer China toward a more open and democratic system. Their actions inspired a national movement. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people in the capital and throughout China took to the streets for weeks to exercise their freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly by advocating for democracy, human rights, and an end to rampant corruption. The CCP responded with a brutal crackdown, sending the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to open fire in an attempt to extinguish the pro-democracy sentiments of unarmed civilians gathered on Beijing’s streets and in Tiananmen Square.

The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget. Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989. Their courage in the face of certain danger reminds us that the principles of freedom, democracy, and self-rule are not just American principles. They are human principles the CCP cannot erase.

As you might imagine, China didn't like this too much. The country's foreign ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said that Beijing was lodging a formal complaint with the United States. He added, "The erroneous statements by the U.S. side maliciously distort historical facts, deliberately attack China's political system and developmental path, and seriously interfere in China's internal affairs." 

Taiwanese President Lai Ching backed Rubio's remarks up in a Facebook post, stating that Taiwan will not "forget history." (Note: the following has been translated to English): "Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the idea of human rights — and their dreams," he said, adding, "Thirty-six years later, the threat posed by authoritarianism is still a challenge that the international community needs to address together; whether it’s military intimidation of democratic countries, grey zone harassment, infiltration surveillance of free societies, human rights violations through long arms, cross-border oppression, and other means, endangering our cherished way of life."

In addition to complaining about Rubio's remarks on Wednesday, Jian also spoke to the matter of the two Chinese nationals who made news earlier this week for trying to sneak dangerous biological pathogens into the United States — pathogens that could make people sick and ruin our food supply. The two also had strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. 

Related: Two Charged with Smuggling a 'Dangerous Biological Pathogen.' Guess Where They're From?

"I have no knowledge of the relevant situation," Jian said, adding, "The Chinese government has always required Chinese nationals abroad to strictly abide by local laws and regulations. At the same time, it will safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals abroad in accordance with the law." Sure, I totally buy that. 

For what it's worth, China also got mad last week when the Donald Trump administration paused all student visa appointments around the world, and Rubio announced that the State Department and Department of Homeland Security would be working together to "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded by saying that China "urges the United States to earnestly safeguard the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of all international students, including those from China." 

I don't know about you, but I'll take a lot more of this, and maybe we could replace the scalpel with, at least, a hammer (Commie pun not intended). China has gone unchecked for far too long and remains the biggest global threat to the United States. It is beyond time that we prioritize our own natural interests again, and that largely includes knocking the CCP down a notch or ten and showing them who's the boss, who's the real superpower. 

Last night, Rubio spoke at the American Compass Fifth Anniversary Gala, and he gave an amazing speech on this topic, though not specifically on China. He essentially gave a history lesson on the last few decades of U.S. foreign policy and how we've gone astray from our own national interests.

"The idea that our foreign policy, depending on the place and on the issue, should be centered and focused primarily on what is good for the United States was completely lost. Time and again, we made decisions in foreign policy because of what was good for the international order or what was good for the world. And I’m not saying those things are irrelevant, but the number one priority of our foreign policy must — of the United States — the number one foreign policy priority of the United States needs to be the United States and what’s in the best interest of the United States," he said.

Rubio added: 

That’s not isolationism. That’s common sense. On the contrary, in order to do that, we have to engage in the world. But we need to engage in the world in a way that prioritizes our national interest above all else. And the reason why we do that goes back to my point at the outset of this, with human nature. And that is: That’s what other countries do all the time. Virtually every single nation-state we interact with prioritizes their national interest in their interactions with us.  And we need to begin to do that again, and we’re beginning to do that again – prioritizing the national interest of the United States above everything else in making these foreign policy decisions.

Thank goodness we finally have someone in power who understands that. 

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