President Joe Biden, in a sharp departure from his typical diplomatic language, labeled China's leader Xi Jinping as a "dictator" during a fundraising event in California this Tuesday. The president's potent remarks came hot on the heels of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's official visit to Beijing.
In his address to over 125 attendees, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Biden underscored a recent incident involving a Chinese spy balloon, an episode that resulted in strained ties between the two global powers. The president asserted that Xi Jinping was greatly irked by this event, largely due to his ignorance of the balloon's existence.
"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 [did not] know it was there," stated Biden. He followed up by noting that such unforeseen incidents are "a great embarrassment for dictators when they [do not] know what happened."
To provide some context, the referenced event took place last February when a Chinese balloon, laden with alleged spying apparatus, drifted over US airspace. Beijing swiftly defended the balloon, categorizing it as a civilian airship intended for meteorological research. However, the US Air Force neutralized the aircraft when it ventured close to sensitive US military locations.
In the same fundraiser speech, Biden lauded Secretary Blinken's handling of his recent diplomatic trip to China, stating, "Antony Blinken just went over there ... did a good job and [it is] going to take time." Yet, despite Blinken's efforts, military communication channels severed in the aftermath of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit remain unrestored, according to NBC News.
Blinken's Beijing trip marks the first of its kind since 2018 and came four months after the balloon debacle had led to a freeze in US-China dialogues. The meeting was initially scheduled for February, only to be postponed due to the ballooning incident.
Nevertheless, amid mounting tensions, Biden urged his fundraising audience to adopt a measured view of the US-China relationship. He commented, "[do not] worry about China. I mean, worry about China, but [do not] worry about China."
Biden's bold labeling of Xi Jinping as a dictator is a significant departure from previous diplomatic language and points towards an increasingly strained US-China dynamic. While China continues to refute allegations of human rights abuses, it maintains that its policies are essential for progress and stability.
At the time of reporting, there has been no response from the Chinese Embassy regarding President Biden's recent comments about Xi Jinping.
