China said U.S. President Joe Biden had made a “public political provocation” by referring to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a “dictator,” as fresh tensions flared in bilateral ties just days after meetings to stabilize relations.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called the U.S. leader’s comments “irresponsible” at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. “It is against the basic facts and diplomatic protocols, seriously violates China’s political dignity and amounts to public political provocation,” she added.
Biden told a crowd at a California fundraiser on Tuesday the Chinese leader had been blindsided by an alleged spy balloon floating over the U.S. earlier this year, saying “he didn’t know it was there.” “That’s what the great embarrassment for dictators — when they didn’t know what happened,” Biden said.
