A photo of Rubio aboard Air Force One released by the White House, which showed him lounging in a grey Nike track suit, drew online attention – with social media users comparing the outfit to what ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro wore when US forces snatched him in January.
Chinese officials said on Tuesday that Rubio would not be barred from entering China.
“The sanctions target Mr Rubio’s words and deeds when he served as a US senator concerning China,” said Chinese embassy spokesman in the US Liu Pengyu.
Other Cabinet members joining Trump on his visit to China include US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
TECH AND BIG FINANCE NAMES
Adding to the line-up are Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg.
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, has also joined Trump’s delegation.
Huang had not been on the White House’s initial list of travelling executives and was spotted boarding Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska.
“(He) is attending the summit at the invitation of President Trump to support America and the administration’s goals,” an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
A White House spokesman added that Huang’s schedule had changed and the timing had worked out.
