Xi Jinping and Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali last November. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP
Joe Biden stood by his controversial description of Xi Jinping, President of China, as a “dictator”, saying that these are “facts”.
The US President said he did not believe that his remarks have undermined or complicated US relations with China.
“The idea of my choosing and avoiding saying what I consider to be facts about relations with China is something I am not going to change much. I don't think it had any real consequences,” Biden said.
He said he looked forward to meeting Mr. Xi in the near future, adding that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently made a “big trip” to China.
At a California fundraiser earlier last week, Biden suggested that Xi was very embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over the US earlier this year.
He said: “The reason why Xi Jinping was very upset that I shot down this balloon with two boxcars full of spy equipment was because he didn’t know he was there. It's a big embarrassment for dictators when they don't know what happened.”
Beijing called the comments “extremely absurd and irresponsible,” and they seemed to threaten efforts to stabilize relations between the two countries.
A US official said, “No wonder the president is outspoken about China and the differences we have. We are certainly not alone in this.
“The President believes that diplomacy, including Secretary of State Blinken, is a responsible way of managing tensions. Secretary Blinken had a good time and made some progress. We hope to build on this progress.”
Mr Xi presides over a one-party system that many human rights groups, Western leaders and scholars call a dictatorship due to the lack of an independent judiciary, a free media, or universal suffrage for national office .
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