Marco Rubio will become the first sitting US Secretary of State under Chinese sanctions to visit Beijing.
Images of Rubio leaving for China on Air Force One with Donald Trump appear to have answered previous questions about whether he would skip such a globally important event.
Rubio is also serving as the US National Security Adviser and would normally have been expected to visit China to lay the groundwork for such a high-stakes summit.
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Instead he has met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi twice on the sidelines of events held outside China.
He is widely viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, with polls consistently placing him among the front-runners.
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Although no one has declared their candidacy this far out, Trump has already floated the idea of a “dream team ticket” pairing Rubio with Vice-President J.D. Vance.
Rubio first sought the presidency in 2016 but suspended his campaign after losing the primary in his home state of Florida to Trump.