President Joe Biden called Xi Jinping a dictator, a day after top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken visited Beijing to stabilize bilateral relations that China says are at their lowest point since formal ties were established.
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks on as he meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool
Biden also said Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over U.S. airspace early this year, making a personal comment on the Chinese leader when Blinken said on Monday the "chapter" should beIt was unclear why Biden made the comments on Xi - China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong after he secured a precedent-breaking third term as president and head of the Communist Party.
"That's a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn't know what happened. That wasn't supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course," Biden added.Xi, who met with Blinken on Monday, has not publicly responded to Biden's comments but they are unlikely to go down well in Beijing and could jeopardise efforts by both countries to bring their relationship back to a more stable footing after the balloon incident.
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