Dismissing tensions, Biden expects to see Xi despite ‘dictators’ jab
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WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden voiced confidence on Thursday that he would meet Chinese President Xi Jinping soon, as he refused to back down after angering Beijing by likening the Chinese leader to “dictators”.
Mr Biden rejected “this theory that the relationship with China is collapsing” and praised talks on Monday in Beijing
“Secretary Blinken had a great trip to China. I expect to be meeting with President Xi some time in the future – in the near term,” Mr Biden told a news conference, alongside visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Implicitly doubling down on his earlier comments on Mr Xi, Mr Biden said he would not be “avoiding saying what I think (are) the facts” on China.
“It’s just not something I’m going to change very much,” he added.
Mr Biden, speaking two days after Mr Blinken’s trip, said that Mr Xi – who has cemented power like no Chinese leader in decades – was unaware of an alleged surveillance balloon
“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn’t know it was there,” Mr Biden told a political reception at which reporters were present.
“I’m serious. That was the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened.”
The balloon caused a public uproar in the United States, leading Mr Blinken to cancel his originally scheduled trip to Beijing, even though administration officials privately doubted the threat from the object.
China’s Ambassador to Washington Xie Feng lodged a protest with the White House and State Department over Mr Biden’s “disparaging” remarks about Mr Xi, the Chinese embassy said.
Mr Biden’s comments are “erroneous, absurd and irresponsible and form an open political provocation”, an embassy statement said, echoing condemnation from Beijing.
Chances soon for summit
Mr Biden, in his decades in politics, has been known for his loose tongue but also for his belief in the power of personal diplomacy.
The President says he spent more than 24 hours talking to Mr Xi when they were both vice-presidents, contributing to the cordial mood when they met for the first time as presidents
The two leaders are set to be in New Delhi in September for the next G-20 summit. Mr Biden is also inviting Mr Xi to San Francisco in November when the US plays host to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Mr Biden’s comment came just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) completed a visit to Beijing aimed at stabilising relations between the superpowers, and meeting President Xi.
PHOTO: AFP
The Bali talks came after tensions soared over then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s defiant visit to Taiwan,
Mr Biden’s outspokenness was not shared by at least one fellow Western leader – New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who is visiting Beijing next week.
Asked on Thursday if he concurred with Mr Biden’s assessment of China’s leader, Mr Hipkins said “no”, adding that “the form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people”.
The US frequently criticises China’s human rights record, although it insists it is not seeking regime change.
In a speech in 2022, Mr Blinken said the US needs to prove that democracy is more effective than Beijing’s “party-led centralised system”, but added: “We do not seek to transform China’s political system.” AFP
