Marco Rubio blasts China over trade abuses, tech theft, and fentanyl influx
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused China of abusing global trade rules, stealing American technology, and flooding the United States with fentanyl. He made the remarks while announcing a USD 28.5 billion budget proposal for the State Department. Speaking on Tuesday, Rubio said the nation is introducing new tariffs to balance trade and bring in more revenue for the government. He also said that the US is bringing an era to a conclusion where it allowed China to get away with questionable behaviour.advertisement"We are resetting America's trade relationship with the world through pro-growth tariffs to balance trade and raise revenue," Rubio said while speaking to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. "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."He lashed out at China, saying, "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."AID FOR ALLIES AND EMERGENCY FUNDRubio also addressed the new State Department budget request for 2026, which amounts to USD 28.5 billion. According to him, the proposal includes eliminating USD 20 billion of what he referred to as "wasteful and ideologically motivated programmes."advertisement"Today, I present the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget request for the Department of State. This budget will allow the Department to fulfil its mission while also proposing the recession of USD 20 billion in duplicative, wasteful, and ideologically driven programmes," he said.One of the main components of the budget is a new emergency fund, the America First Opportunity Fund (A1OF). It is valued at USD 2.9 billion and has been designed to enable the US to respond rapidly to foreign crises, support allies like India and Jordan, and counter threats from nations like China.Rubio explained, "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 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."With inputs from ANITune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
41 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Democracy without dissent a contradiction: Justice Surya Kant
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Whole world now knows the truth': Shashi Tharoor-led delegation wraps up US visit; urges global terror fight
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
LA riots: 'They spit, we hit,' says Donald Trump; directs officials to 'liberate city from migrant invasion'
Donald Trump talking to reporters US President Donald Trump on Sunday talked about his decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against immigration raids, framing the move as essential to restoring law and order. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, departing for Camp David, Trump claimeddemonstrators had engaged in physical provocation, justifying a tough federal response. 'They spit and worse, you know, what they throw at them, right?' Trump said. 'And when that happens, I have a little statement. They spit, we hit. And I told them, nobody's going to spit on our police officers, nobody's going to spit on our military. Which they do, is a common thing. They get up to them this far away and then they start spitting in their face. That happens. They get hit very hard.' 'I mean, if we see danger to our country and to our citizens, it will be very, very strong in terms of law and order,' he continued, adding, 'It's about law and order. We're going to be watching it very closely." 'Los Angeles will be set free' After his statement to reporters, Trump took to his social media platform to announce further action against the anti-immigration protests, calling it an "invasion" multiple times. "A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations — But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve," he said. Announcing his next steps, he added, "I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem , Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth , and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant Departments and Agencies, to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots. Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump's comments came soon after troops deployed to a Los Angeles detention center used tear gas to disperse a group of demonstrators protesting the latest wave of raids by US immigration agents. The protests, now in their second day, have sparked tensions across the city and drawn condemnation from state leaders. California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the troop deployment, calling it an attempt to 'manufacture a crisis.' However, the White House said the move was legally justified under Title 10, a seldom-used provision allowing the president to federalize the National Guard during instances of rebellion or threats to federal authority. While Trump has not yet invoked the US Insurrection Act, which would expand his authority to deploy active-duty military forces for domestic law enforcement, he signaled openness to further action. 'We're looking at troops everywhere. We're not going to let this happen to our country,' he said. When asked what threshold would lead him to send in the Marines instead of Guardsmen, he replied: 'The bar is what I think it is. '
