Biden Calls Xi a ‘Dictator’ a Day After Blinken’s China Trip
A day after Washington declared “progress” in steadying diplomatic ties with China, President Joe Biden has angered Beijing by calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator.
Speaking at a private fundraiser, President Biden boasted that his shooting down of Chinese spy balloons caused “great embarrassment” to the Communist “dictator.”
“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn’t know it was there,” President Biden told Democrat donors on Tuesday. “I’m serious. That’s what’s the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened.”
The unscripted remark comes a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned from his China visit, declaring it a great success. “Blinken on Monday said that the United States and China had made “progress” toward steering relations back on track as both sides agreed on the need to “stabilize” the bilateral relationship,” CNN reported earlier this week.
Reuters reported Biden’s remarks:
At a fundraiser in California, Biden said Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over U.S. airspace early this year. Blinken had said on Monday the chapter should be closed.”The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said.”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 said.Biden as president has previously referred to China as “essentially” a dictatorship and “a place for the autocrat, the dictator,” while saying no other world leader wants to be Xi.But Tuesday’s remarks about the Chinese leader were some of his most direct.
The issue isn’t that President Biden took a principled stand against China’s Communist dictatorship. In his subsequent interaction with the reporters at the White House, the president appeared dazed and confused when quizzed about the remarks.
Since Biden took office, his staffers have been busy clearing the trail of political and diplomatic wreckage left behind by a mumbling and bumbling president. His apparent cognitive decline should cause great worry as the U.S. faces an emerging hostile military alliance between China and Russia.
President’s comments appear to have upended Blinken’s efforts to normalize relations with China. “Biden’s remarks “opens new rift just after Blinken’s tensions-easing trip,” The Associated Press noted.
Chinese foreign ministry threatened diplomatic retaliation over the remarks. “Beijing says Washington could face “consequences” for “provocations” against Chinese President Xi Jinping,” The South China Morning Post reported.
This should come as a big blow to Biden’s Climate Czar, John Kerry, who desperately seeks China’s support in pushing his global climate agenda.
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