The United States President, Joe Biden, assimilated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jiping with “dictators” during a Democratic Party donors’ reception in the presence of journalists, with Beijing denouncing his remarks as a political provocation.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday equated his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with “dictators” as he addressed a Democratic Party donors’ reception in the presence of journalists.
Speaking at a fundraiser in northern California, Biden said Xi had been angered over an incident in February when a Chinese balloon, which Washington says was used for spying, flew over the United States before being shot down by American military jets.
“I’m serious. That was the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened.”
Biden’s remarks come days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing aimed at re-establishing lines of communication to avoid conflict between the two global powers.
With February’s balloon incident, the multi-faceted rivalry between China and the United States turned into a full-blown diplomatic crisis.
Responding to Biden’s comments Wednesday, Beijing called them an “open political provocation.”
“The relevant remarks by the US side are extremely absurd and irresponsible; they seriously violate basic facts, diplomatic protocol, and China’s political dignity,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a briefing.
Still, on the subject of China and Xi, Biden said, “We’re in a situation now where he wants to have a relationship again.”
Miroslava Salazar with AFP
