China on Wednesday blasted US President Joe Biden’s “absurd” remark that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping belonged to the category of “dictators”, as relations between Washington and Beijing appeared to calm down.
Referring to a recent episode in which the United States destroyed a Chinese balloon which they believe was spying on their territory, Joe Biden assured that “the reason why (the Chinese president) got so angry when I shot down this balloon full of spy equipment is that he did not know (that this device) was there”.
He was speaking at a reception in California with Democratic Party donors, attended by reporters.
“It’s very embarrassing for dictators when they don’t know what happened,” he continued, adding, “When (the ball) was shot down (Xi Jinping) found himself very embarrassed and he even denied that (the aircraft) was there”.
Asked about this, a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, Mao Ning, considered that these remarks were “provocation”.
“This remark by the US side is really absurd, very irresponsible, does not reflect reality, contravenes diplomatic practices and seriously undermines China’s political dignity,” she told reporters.
“It is openly a political provocation,” said the spokeswoman.
“Inconsistencies”
The statements come as Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing on Monday, the first by a top US diplomat in nearly five years.
His meeting with Xi Jinping was hailed by both countries as a success after months of tension, despite the persistence of deep disagreements.
Still about the Chinese president, Joe Biden said again: “We are in a situation where he wants to establish a relationship again”.
The American president considered that Mr. Blinken had done “a good job” in China, but explained that it “would take time” to ease the very tense relationship between the two great powers.
“And by the way, I promise you, don’t worry about China. […] China has real economic difficulties,” said the 80-year-old Democrat, campaigning for re-election.
Moscow, for its part, mocked the “contradictions” of American foreign policy.
“We have seen for days some information about […] conciliatory statements “from Mr. Blinken in Beijing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
The criticism expressed by Mr. Biden in the process is therefore “completely incomprehensible”, he said to the press.
“Really upset”
The all-out rivalry between China and the United States had turned into an open diplomatic crisis with the balloon episode in February.
The US president spoke of another sticking point with China: the summit at which the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States — known as the “Quad” — addressed in May thinly veiled criticism of Beijing’s Asia-Pacific policy, which they see as a source of instability.
The four countries are “working hand in hand in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean”, said Biden, who said this show of unity between the four countries was what had “really upset” the Chinese president. .
This is not the first time that Joe Biden has made landmark statements at fundraising receptions, small-scale events where cameras, microphones and cameras are excluded – but journalists present can listen to the introductory remarks of the president and transcribe them.
It was during an event of this kind, in October 2022, that Joe Biden had, for example, mentioned the risk of a nuclear “apocalypse” triggered by Russia.