Biden called Xi Jinping a “dictator”: he spat in the well

The President of the United States, it seems, went against popular wisdom, which says “do not spit in the well – it will come in handy to get drunk.” No sooner had the trail of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who paid a visit there, been caught in Beijing, and Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator.” In this way, the American leader can nullify Washington’s attempts to at least somehow establish a very difficult relationship with China.

Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” a day after Blinken’s visit aimed at easing tensions, Reuters reported, stressing that the US president’s comments came at a time when the two countries are seeking to ease the bitter rivalry.

US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator and said Xi was very embarrassed when a Chinese balloon blew off course over the US earlier this year.

Biden made these statements a day after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Xi Jinping during a trip to China that was aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.

“The reason Xi Jinping was very upset when I shot down this balloon with two boxcars full of spy equipment was because he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday .

“This is a great shame for dictators. When they don’t know what happened. It shouldn’t have happened where it did. He was thrown off course,” Biden added.

A Chinese spy balloon allegedly flew over US airspace in February. This incident and the exchange of visits by US and Taiwan officials have recently heightened tensions between the US and China.

In March, Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term in office, making him China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Biden also said that China is “experiencing real economic hardship.”

China’s economy faltered in May as industrial production and retail sales fell short of forecasts, heightening expectations that Beijing will need to do more to shore up a shaky post-pandemic recovery.

The World Bank earlier this month forecast 2023 US economic growth of 1.1%, more than double the 0.5% forecast in January, while China’s growth is expected to rise to 5.6%. compared to a forecast of 4.3% in January.

As Reuters notes, Blinken and Xi Jinping agreed at their meeting on Monday to stabilize the bitter rivalry between Washington and Beijing so that it does not escalate into conflict, but failed to achieve any breakthrough during the Secretary of State’s rare visit to China.

They did agree to continue diplomatic engagement with more visits from US officials in the coming weeks and months. Later on Tuesday, Biden said US climate envoy John Kerry could travel to China soon.

Biden said on Monday that he believes relations between the two countries are on the right track and indicated progress was made during Blinken’s trip.

Biden said on Tuesday that Xi Jinping was concerned about the so-called QUAD strategic security group, which includes Japan, Australia, India and the United States. The US President said he had previously told Xi Jinping that the US was not trying to encircle China with the Quartet.

“He called me and told me not to do it because it puts him in a difficult position,” Biden said.

Biden will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week and China is expected to be a topic of discussion between the two leaders.