China protests over Joe Biden’s ‘disparaging’ comments likening Xi Jinping to ‘dictator’

Beijing says US president’s remarks are a ‘smear’ and vows to ‘resolutely respond’ to ‘open political provocation’
Biden’s unusually pointed remarks spark renewed tensions just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns from long-awaited China trip

US-China relations

Shi Jiangtao

Published: 8:01pm, 22 Jun 2023

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Beijing has officially protested to the White House about US President Joe Biden’s remarks likening his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to a “dictator”, with its mission in the US warning of “consequences” for provocations against China’s political system and top leader.

In a sign of renewed tensions days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s fence-mending trip to China, which included a meeting with Xi on Monday, Beijing has upped the ante against Washington, questioning its sincerity about stabilising their fraught ties.

According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Chinese embassy in Washington, Beijing’s top envoy to Washington Xie Feng “made serious representations and strong protests” to unnamed senior officials at the White House and State Department on Wednesday.

The statement, citing an unnamed embassy spokesperson, said Biden’s “disparaging” remarks were “erroneous, absurd and irresponsible, and form an open political provocation”.

Blinken’s China trip could put some US allies in ‘precarious position’

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also condemned Biden’s comments as “extremely ridiculous and irresponsible” and said they “seriously violate basic facts, diplomatic protocol and China’s political dignity”. However, her remarks, made during a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, did not appear on the ministry’s website.

The embassy further elaborated Beijing’s stance in its statement, saying “the smear of China’s top leader” has undermined mutual trust and the “nature and impact are very negative”.

“The Chinese government and people feel deeply affronted and firmly oppose it. President Biden said explicitly before that the United States respects China’s system, does not seek to change it and has no intention for a new Cold War. But with the latest irresponsible remarks about China’s political system and top leader, people cannot help but question the sincerity of the US side,” it said.

It vowed to “resolutely respond” to “political provocation against China’s top leader”.

“We urge the US side to immediately take earnest actions to undo the negative impact and honour its own commitments. Otherwise, it will have to bear all the consequences,” the embassy said in the statement.

02:26

Beijing hits back at US President’s ‘dictator’ comments as violating ‘China’s political dignity’

Biden’s unusually pointed remarks about the Chinese leader came during a fundraiser in California on Tuesday as part of his campaign for next year’s presidential election. He said Xi “got very upset” when the US shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February – prompting Blinken to postpone his planned visit to China that month – because “he didn’t know it was there”.

“That’s what’s a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn’t know what happened,” he told donors, adding that Xi “wants to have a relationship again”.

Asked Wednesday about Biden’s comments, state department spokesman Vedant Patel said there was no need to walk them back.

“The president believes that diplomacy, including this recent trip undertaken by the secretary, is a responsible way to manage tensions,” Patel said. “I don’t think that the president’s comments need to be clarified any further or to be interpreted any further.”

The White House tried to play down Biden’s remarks on Wednesday, saying it had “every expectation” of building on the progress Blinken made during his long-awaited trip to China earlier this week.

“It should come as no surprise that the president speaks candidly about China and the differences that we have – we are certainly not alone in that,” said an unnamed senior administration official, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.

“The president believes that diplomacy, including that undertaken by Secretary Blinken, is the responsible way to manage tensions,” the official added.

02:49

‘China will not challenge or replace the US’, Xi tells Blinken at crucial meeting

During his two-day visit to Beijing, the first by America’s top diplomat in five years, Blinken and Xi agreed on Monday to stabilise the rivalry between the countries so it did not veer into conflict. While the visit did not yield breakthroughs, both sides agreed to continue high-level diplomatic exchanges, including a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Washington.

But tensions began to re-emerge just hours after Blinken wrapped up his Beijing trip on Monday, when Yang Tao, in charge of the Chinese foreign ministry’s department of North American and Oceanian affairs, lashed out at Washington’s “one-China” policy for Taiwan.

Speaking at a media briefing late on Monday, Yang accused the US of back-pedalling on its previous commitments on Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a runaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Yang said the US initially recognised “there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China”. But then he alleged that over the years Washington had decided to add the Taiwan Relations Act and the so-called Six Assurances to Taiwan to its one-China policy, which was against what Beijing and Washington mutually agreed on. “China has resolutely opposed them and does not recognise them,” he added.

‘No fantasies’ as China slams ‘ridiculous’ Biden comments on Xi: analysts

During a meeting with Blinken on Monday, Xi’s top foreign policy aide Wang Yi also put the blame squarely on the Biden administration for the deterioration of US-China ties, urging Washington to “reflect upon itself” about “US misperceptions towards China” and “misguided China policies”. However, Daniel Kritenbrink, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, hit back later saying a fruitful relationship could only be possible if it were a “two-way street”.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who is expected to visit Beijing and meet Xi next week, said on Thursday that he did not agree with Biden comparing the Chinese leader to “dictators”.

The Group of Seven industrialised nations also expressed unity and support on Wednesday for closer coordination in dealing with China, after a meeting of G7 representatives with Blinken in London.

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