US President Joe Biden Calls Xi Jinping a ‘Dictator’, Blinken Defends; Says It’s No Surprise
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended President Joe Biden’s remarks in which he called his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a ‘Dictator’. Blinken said the US will continue to say things China does not like.
Biden called the 70-year-old Xi a Dictator just hours after meeting him for the first time in over a year. The two leaders had a candid and productive discussion to revive bilateral relations on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.
According to a CBS News report, when pressed on whether Biden’s comments represent the US government’s stance, Blinken responded that the President speaks for all of us.
“The President always speaks straight from the shoulder, and he speaks for all of us,” Blinken said on Thursday. “We will continue to say things and take actions that China will not like because I do think China will also continue to say things and take actions that we will not like.”
In an interview with NBC News, Blinken said, “It’s no surprise. I don’t think it’s going to be news to anyone that we have very different systems.”
“The President always speaks his mind, and he does so for us, but what really matters is what came out of the meeting today,” he added.
Blinken said, “President Biden always speaks directly, and he does so for all of us. But as you said a moment ago, what this summit today, this meeting did, was produce real, tangible results for the American people. We’ll want to make sure that the competition between us does not veer into conflict.”
The foreign minister expressed concerns that the U.S.-China competition could turn into outright conflict if left unchecked. He emphasized the need for maintaining open lines of communication.
In summary, the article discusses Biden terming Xi a ‘Dictator’ and Blinken justifying those remarks while pledging to continue voicing criticism of China. He said candid dialogue is essential to prevent rivalry from escalating into confrontation.