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CHINA PERSPECTIVE
RUBIO VISITS POPE LEO XIV: TRUMP SENDS HIS CATHOLIC ENVOY TO THE VATICAN TO 'THAW' A GEOPOLITICAL FEUD
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DOMINANT ANGLE
The South China Morning Post reads Rubio's mission as confirmation that US diplomacy relies on damage-control operations rather than coherent strategy: Beijing notes with satisfaction that Washington must send its top diplomat to make diplomatic amends to a religious institution
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
The South China Morning Post publishes a sober article on Rubio's visit, citing Vatican and Italian sources confirming the 'thaw' objective. The Hong Kong paper notes the Trump-Pope feud fits a broader pattern of diplomatic antagonisms — with Germany, NATO, France, and now the Vatican. Coverage is neutral in tone but reveals a strategic reading: the fact that an American administration is forced to send its Secretary of State to repair a quarrel with a religious institution is presented as a signal of diplomatic weakness. The SCMP emphasizes the feud occurred 'after Trump's row with the pope on Iran' — a subject on which China has its own positions.
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