BEIJING — China has strongly rebuked U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent comments likening Chinese leader Xi Jinping to a dictator, deeming them “extremely absurd and irresponsible.” This exchange of words threatens to disrupt the tentative efforts aimed at stabilizing the relationship between the two nations.
The verbal clash comes just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing, which sought to thaw the icy relations that have reached an all-time low. While both sides viewed the talks as productive, they did not yield any significant breakthroughs, except for an agreement to resume discussions on a wide-ranging agenda encompassing cooperation and competition.
During a fundraising event in California, Biden remarked that Xi was embarrassed by the recent tensions surrounding a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the Air Force along the East Coast.
“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened,” Biden stated.
In response to Biden’s remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning criticized the comments, asserting that they “go against facts, seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity.”
Mao further added, “It is a blatant political provocation. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition.”
China maintains that the balloon was intended for meteorological research and had drifted off course accidentally. Mao argued that the United States should have handled the situation calmly and professionally, but instead distorted the facts and sensationalized the incident, revealing a nature of bullying and hegemony.
Biden has previously used the term “dictator,” as well as “war criminal,” to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although Xi holds various positions within the country, including being the head of state, military commander, and leader of the ruling Communist Party, which does not tolerate challenges to its authority, there are no term limits imposed on his leadership.
Blinken’s visit, which included a meeting with Xi, aimed to ease tensions between the two global powers. Initially scheduled for February but postponed due to the balloon incident, the visit marked a resumption of high-level engagement. However, China continues to reject military talks with the United States.
In recent days, the U.S. has raised concerns about Chinese warplanes and naval vessels engaging in maneuvers that threaten their American counterparts in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, despite prior agreements on protocols to avoid such incidents.
During Blinken’s visit, China reiterated its strong objections to U.S. support for Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as part of its own territory. The United States has also sought to limit China’s access to advanced computer chip manufacturing technology, citing potential military applications, and accused China of intellectual property theft.
Biden’s comments at the fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign suggested that the balloon incident caught Xi off guard.
“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators when they didn’t know what happened. It wasn’t supposed to go where it did. It was blown off course, passing through Alaska and then down through the United States. He didn’t even know it was there,” Biden stated. “When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied its existence altogether.”
Despite their significant political differences, the two countries maintain deep economic and cultural ties. Bilateral trade surpassed $690 billion last year, and approximately 300,000 Chinese students are studying in the United States, providing support to American institutions facing financial pressures.
After meeting with Xi on Monday, Blinken acknowledged the enduring differences between the nations, stating, “We have no illusions about the challenges of managing this relationship. There are many issues on which we profoundly, even vehemently, disagree.”
Xi struck a similar tone but suggested that the rivalry could be surmounted.
“The competition among major countries is not in line with the current trend and cannot solve the problems faced by the United States itself and the world,” Xi conveyed to Blinken. “China respects the interests of the United States and will not challenge or replace the United States. Similarly, the United States should also respect China and refrain from harming its legitimate rights and interests.”