Beijing: A day after top US diplomat Antony Blinken visited Beijing to help normalise bilateral relations, which China claims are at their lowest point since formal ties were established, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday referred to Xi Jinping as a dictator.
When Blinken stated on Monday that the "chapter" should be closed, Biden added that Xi was deeply embarrassed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon was blown off course over US airspace at the beginning of this year.
Given that Xi had just won a record-breaking third term as president and leader of the Communist Party, it was unclear why Biden made the remarks about him. Xi is currently the most powerful person in China since Mao Zedong.
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At a fundraiser in California, Biden said, "Xi Jinping didn't know it was there, which is why he got very upset when I shot down that balloon with two box cars full of spy gear in it.
That causes dictators a great deal of shame. when they were unaware of what had happened. That wasn't intended to go in the direction it did. The ship was blown off course, said Biden.
Additionally, Biden stated that China "has real economic difficulties." Biden's remarks are not likely to be well received in Beijing and could jeopardise efforts by both countries to put their relationship back on a more stable footing after the balloon incident. Xi, who met with Blinken on Monday, has not publicly responded to them.
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The intense rivalry between Washington and Beijing would be stabilised, Blinken and Xi agreed in their meeting, so that it would not turn violent. However, no progress was made during the secretary of state's unusual trip to China.
They did agree to maintain diplomatic ties by inviting more US officials to visit in the ensuing weeks and months. Later on Tuesday, Biden suggested that US climate envoy John Kerry might soon visit China.
On Monday, Biden stated that he believed the two nations' relations were headed in the right direction and that Blinken's visit had resulted in progress.
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On Tuesday, Biden stated that the so-called Quad strategic security group, which consists of Japan, Australia, India, and the United States, had caused Xi some concern. The US president claimed that he had already assured Xi that his country was not using the Quad to encircle China.
He told me not to do that over the phone because it would put him in a difficult situation, Biden said. Biden will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week, and it is anticipated that the two leaders will talk about China during their meeting.