After a day of high-level talks between the United States and China that tried to calm tensions between the two countries, US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator, Written by BBC.
Biden also spoke about relations with China at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday night. He brings in the Chinese spy balloon that has flown over the United States, and dictates one.
“The reason Xi Jinping was really angry when I dropped that balloon with two crates full of spy equipment was because he didn’t know it was there. That’s a huge shame for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened,” Biden said.
A suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace in February, but the incident is just one of many that have left relations between the two countries somewhat frosty. Trade and human rights issues are also a constant topic, but because of Taiwan, military displays of force are common on both sides, which is why it was important to conduct serious diplomatic negotiations again.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top US diplomat to visit China for the first time in nearly five years, met Xi Jinping on Monday and agreed to stabilize their relationship to prevent the rivalry from escalating into conflict. And although the Chinese president and the Americans talked about making progress, they failed to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations, Blinken also indicated that there are fundamental differences between the two countries.
They agreed to continue diplomatic cooperation in the coming weeks and months, which will also include several US officials visiting China. On Tuesday, Biden said climate commissioner John Kerry may also travel to China soon.
The US President also spoke of Xi Jinping’s fear of the Quad Security Group, which includes Japan, Australia, India and the United States, but Biden told Xi that they would not try to encircle China.
Last fall, Chinese President Xi Jinping cemented his leadership role for another five years – you can read more about the significance of this in our analysis.
