China condemned on Thursday US President Joe Biden’s description of Xi Jinping as a dictator as “extremely wrong”, after the two leaders wrapped up a summit in California.
Asked about Biden’s remarks, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: “This kind of speech is extremely wrong and is irresponsible political manipulation. China firmly opposes it.”
“I need to point out that there are always some people with ulterior motives attempting to sow discord and wreck China-US relations, and this too will not succeed,” she added.
When questioned about the individuals causing discord, Mao declined to specify, emphasizing that “I think whoever is trying to undermine and sow discord between China and the United States knows it.”
Despite President Biden and President Xi’s agreements during their summit, such as reestablishing military communications and addressing fentanyl production, Biden reiterated his characterization of Xi as a “dictator,” a statement that had previously provoked tension with Beijing.
In a post-summit statement on Wednesday, President Biden reiterated his characterization of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, as a “dictator.”
This remark, previously made by Biden earlier in the year, had triggered strong reactions from Beijing.
Biden clarified, “Well look, he is, I mean he’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who’s running a country, a Communist country, that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours.”
