Sen. Rubio Blocks Biden’s Ambassador Pick for China

Nicholas Burns testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on his nomination to be ambassador to China, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Oct. 20, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Tuesday placed a hold on President Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, saying he does not fully understand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“Nicholas Burns has a long career in public service, but it is a career defined by the failure to understand the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Rubio said of the procedural move in a statement.