Joe Biden likens Xi to dictators

US foreign policy

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit to China on Monday alone should smooth the tide between the two countries. Now President Biden’s statement may have ruined everything.

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US President Joe Biden It has its Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Democrats are tied with dictators in fundraising. At a reception in California on Tuesday, Biden said Xi was angered when a Chinese balloon believed by Washington to be a spy flew over the United States before it was shot down by US military jets in February.

US President Biden compares Chinese President Xi to dictators

“The reason Xi Jinping was so angry when I shot down that balloon full of spy equipment is because he didn’t know he was there,” Biden said. “It’s very embarrassing for dictators who don’t know what’s going on,” Biden added. When the balloon was launched, Xi “was in such a bad condition that he denied he was there.”

Biden, who is running for president again at age 80, told his audience not to worry about China. “China has real economic problems,” he said.

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The statement by the US president will provoke strong opposition from Beijing. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made efforts to improve strained bilateral ties during a two-day visit there.

On Monday, Biden said of Blinken’s arrival: “We are on the right track.” Blinken did a great job in his speeches in Beijing.

After the meeting with Blinken, Xi said the two sides had “made progress and reached agreements on some issues” in the talks. He emphasized that he hoped the US Secretary of State’s visit would contribute positively to the stabilization of relations.

Xi said both sides agreed in the talks to “continue the agreements” he made with US President Joe Biden during the G20 summit in Bali in November. At the time, Xi and Biden announced they wanted to reduce tensions between the US and China.

Tension between China and US over alleged spy balloon

Blinken’s trip to China was originally scheduled for early February. At the time, however, he canceled at short notice after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over the US for a day and was shot down by US warplanes, sparking a diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing.

But the alleged spy balloon alone strained relations between the two superpowers. Relations between Washington and Beijing have soured significantly in recent years over trade and human rights issues, ties to Taiwan and other issues.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday underlined the importance of improved exchanges between China and the United States. Steinmeier welcomed Chinese Premier Li Qiang at Bellevue Palace in Berlin. The federal president emphasized the “special importance” of relations between the United States and China for “global security and cooperation,” a spokesperson for the president’s office wrote on Twitter. Steinmeier therefore campaigned for “strengthening the lines of communication between the two countries”. (AFP/The)

Teaser Image: © IMAGO/UPI Photo/Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs