President Joe Biden once again called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator,” a term that could potentially escalate the already strained relationship between the U.S. and China.
What Happened: President Biden’s remark was made in the aftermath of a crucial summit between the two nations. The president justified his comment, explaining that Xi’s dictatorial status is a result of his leadership of a communist country that operates on a different governmental system than that of the U.S..
"Look, he is. He's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that is based on a form of government totally different from ours," Biden told the media.
Why It Matters: President Biden and Xi had spent several hours in discussion in California. Their meeting, a part of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, covered a wide range of issues, including the resumption of military communication, the influx of fentanyl in the U.S., the upcoming Taiwanese elections, artificial intelligence, and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The leaders also took time to walk around the Filoli estate. This incident marks the second time this year that Biden has referred to his Chinese counterpart in this manner. Previously in June, at a fundraiser in San Francisco, Biden called Xi a dictator, referring to an episode where a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US military, eliciting a strong reaction from Xi.
The repeated use of the term ‘dictator’ by President Biden to describe President Xi underscores the deepening rift between the U.S. and China. This comes at a time when both nations are engaged in crucial dialogues on a number of sensitive issues.
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