U.S. Not Backing Down As China Hits Back After Biden Calls Xi 'Dictator'

Washington D.C./22.06.23/Turan:    Washington rejects the notion that President Joe Biden’s latest remark likening China's Xi Jinping to a “dictator” is counterproductive to his top diplomat’s efforts to repair bilateral relations that have hit a historical low, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We have been very clear about the areas in which we disagree, including the clear differences we see when it comes to democracies and autocracies," State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a Wednesday press briefing.

Speaking at a campaign fundraiser in California on Tuesday, Biden called Xi a “dictator” sparking an angry reaction from Beijing. The U.S. president suggested that Xi was embarrassed because he did not know about the alleged Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States earlier this year.

Beijing quickly hit back on Wednesday, branding Biden's comments "extremely absurd and irresponsible."

Asked by TURAN whether the progress Secretary Blinken had appeared to have made in China had been wasted, Patel said "not at all."

"We believe that engagement and dialogue and diplomacy are integral to a number of the issues that we think are important as it relates to our bilateral relationship with the PRC," he explained.

"And there are a number of areas – addressing the climate crisis, getting home wrongfully detained American citizens, securing cooperation as it relates to the provision of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors, and defending the economic interests of U.S. workers and companies – those things happen through dialogue and engagement," he added.

Alex Raufoglu