Marco Rubio targets China for "abusing trade practices, stealing US technology, and flooding US with fentanyl"

Rubio also took a swipe at China, saying the US is confronting the Chinese Communist Party's influence globally and ending the era of allowing it to abuse trade practices, steal US technology, and flood the country with fentanyl.

Announcing the State Department's USD 28.5 billion budget request for 2026, Rubio said the US is resetting global trade ties with new tariffs and cutting wasteful spending.

In a statement before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio said, "We are resetting America's trade relationship with the world through pro-growth tariffs to balance trade and raise revenue. On every continent, except perhaps Antarctica, where the penguins are proving difficult, we are supporting USTR's work to negotiate trade deals that protect American workers and secure investment that will grow our economy. The Department is confronting China's nefarious influence from the Indo-Pacific to Africa to Latin America. The era of indulging the Chinese Communist Party as it abuses trade practices to steal our technology and floods our nation with fentanyl is over."

He added, "Today, I present the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request for the Department of State. This budget, totalling USD 28.5 billion, will allow the Department to fulfill its mission while also proposing the recission of USD 20 billion in duplicative, wasteful, and ideologically driven programmes. Last month, I announced a department-wide reorganisation, the principles of which are reflected in our fiscal year 2026 budget request."

He also unveiled a USD 2.9 billion "America First Opportunity Fund" to quickly respond to global crises, support key allies like India and Jordan, and counter growing threats from China.

"A core principle of this reorganisation is the belief that what matters is not the size of budgets but the agility with which they can be deployed. That is reflected in the new America First Opportunity Fund, or A1OF--a USD 2.9 billion flexible account that consolidates numerous fragmented and inefficient foreign assistance programmes. It will allow the Department to respond rapidly to crises, engage proactively with critical partners like India and Jordan, support essential repatriation efforts, and confront strategic threats from near-peer competitors like China," Rubio said. (ANI)