‘Absurd and irresponsible,’ China slams Biden for calling Xi Jingping a dictator
1 min read 21 Jun 2023, 02:29 PM ISTChina criticizes President Biden's comments referring to Xi Jinping as a dictator as ‘absurd and irresponsible,’ violating diplomatic protocol and infringing on China's political dignity.
PremiumChina has criticized President Joe Biden's comments referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator, "extremely absurd and irresponsible.
As reported by AP, the new clash of words comes just over a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in a relationship that has hit a historical low.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday said Biden’s comments at a fundraiser in California “go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity."
“It is a blatant political provocation. China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition," Mao said at a daily briefing, adding, “the US remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible."
Despite Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit, which included a meeting with Xi Jinping, the aim of easing tensions between the United States and China did not yield significant outcomes.
During a recent fundraiser, President Joe Biden mentioned that Xi Jinping seemed embarrassed by the escalating tensions related to a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been intercepted by the Air Force over the East Coast.
“That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened," Biden said.
Mao restated China's claim that the balloon was intended for meteorological research and had accidentally deviated from its intended course. “The US should have handled it in a calm and professional manner," she said.
“However, the US distorted facts and used forces to hype up the incident, fully revealing its nature of bullying and hegemony," she further noted.