Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Chinese government has opened its voice regarding the statement by the President of the United States (US) Joe Biden who called President Xi Jinping a dictator after their meeting. This was conveyed by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday (16/11/2023).
Earlier, Biden held a solo press conference after four hours of talks with Xi in San Francisco. At the end of the press conference, he was asked whether he still held the view that Xi was a dictator as he said in June.
“Look, it’s true. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a person who runs a communist country that’s based on a completely different form of government than ours,” Biden said after the question, quoted by Reuters.
This immediately received a reaction from Beijing. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Biden’s statement was completely wrong and was irresponsible political manipulation.
“I need to emphasize that there are always people with ulterior motives who try to sow discord and destroy Sino-US relations, and this will not work either,” he added.
When asked to clarify who he was referring to, Mao refused and said “I think anyone who tries to weaken and sow discord between China and the US knows that.”
Biden and Xi agreed to restore military communications between the two countries. They also agreed, among other things, that China would crack down on production of ingredients for fentanyl, which is responsible for the deadly epidemic of opioid abuse in the US.
Xi is considered China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, after a decade of consolidating power in policymaking and the military.
Meanwhile, heading into the run-up to the Biden-Xi meeting, hundreds of Beijing’s critics marched through the city center around noon, chanting “free Tibet” and “free Hong Kong.”
When Biden made similar dictatorial remarks in June, Beijing called them unreasonable and a provocation. However, the dispute did not prevent the two sides from holding extensive talks to improve tense relations.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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