Biden characterizes Xi as a ‘dictator’
During a press conference with donors in California, the US president called his Chinese counterpart a “dictator” on Tuesday.
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
AFP
The U.S. destroyed a Chinese balloon it said was spying on its territory, which Joe Biden claimed was the reason (the Chinese president) got angry when I shot down this balloon full of spy equipment. He did not know (this device) existed”.
“It’s very embarrassing for the dictators who don’t know what happened,” he continued, “(Xi Jinping) was very embarrassed when (the ball) was dropped, and he even denied that (the plane) was there” . “Also, I assure you not to worry about China. (…) China has real economic problems,” the 80-year-old Democrat campaigned for his re-election.
Yet Joe Biden reiterated on Xi Jinping: “We are in a situation where he wants to have a relationship again”. Recalling the return of the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, from China, the US president considered the latter to have done a “good job”, but explained that the extremely tense relationship between the two superpowers would “take time”. . This balloon episode in February turned the whole rivalry between China and the US into an open diplomatic crisis.
It’s not the first time Joe Biden has delivered keynotes at fundraisers, small-scale events where no cameras, microphones, and cameras are removed — but journalists present can listen to the president’s introductory remarks and transcribe them. During one such event in October 2022, Joe Biden mentioned the risk of a nuclear “apocalypse” provoked by Russia.
AFP
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