Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is expected to face friendly questioning at his Secretary of State nomination hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he has served for 14 years,

Senator Marco Rubio will say China has lied and cheated its way to superpower status at the expense of the US, according to remarks he’s set to deliver at his confirmation hearing for secretary of state on Wednesday.

A flurry of activity reveals how Beijing is prepared to act swiftly and forcefully in an intensified diplomatic and trade standoff with Trump, analysts said.

U.S. imports from China finished the year strong after some companies stockpiled shipments of apparel, toys, furniture and electronics ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose new tariffs that could revive a trade war between the world's economic superpowers.

The migration of manufacturing to Mexico could undermine Trump’s promise to voters that ratcheting up tariffs on China would incentivize companies to bring production back to the U.S and give American companies a more even playing field.