17-11-2023 (SAN FRANCISCO) During a meticulously planned summit, America’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, appeared visibly annoyed as President Joe Biden deviated from the script and referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator.”
The four-hour meeting between Biden and Xi on Wednesday had been preceded by months of diplomatic groundwork, including a visit by Blinken to Beijing. It marked the first in-person meeting of the leaders of the world’s two largest economies in over a year.
Initially, both sides hailed the talks as a constructive breakthrough that helped alleviate tensions on various fronts. However, tensions resurfaced during a subsequent news conference when Biden openly referred to Xi as a “dictator,” emphasizing, “Look, he is.”
Beijing reacted angrily to Biden’s remarks, deeming them “irresponsible.” As the undiplomatic statement left the president’s lips, Blinken, seated in the front row just a few feet away, displayed a visible reaction. He jerked his head to the side, winced, and took a deep breath while clasping his hands tightly in front of him.
The news conference took place with Biden alone, without Xi, at the secluded Filoli estate outside San Francisco. Biden had previously referred to Xi as a dictator in June and was asked if he still held that view. He responded, “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’s based on a form of government totally different than ours.”
China’s foreign ministry swiftly voiced its strong opposition to Biden’s statement, labeling it “extremely wrong” and accusing him of engaging in irresponsible political manipulation. Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning asserted that certain individuals with ulterior motives were attempting to incite and damage U.S.-China relations, but their efforts were bound to fail.
Xi secured a third term as president in March, with nearly 3,000 members of China’s National People’s Congress voting unanimously in his favor in an election where he stood unopposed. Regarded as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, Xi has spent a decade consolidating power in policy-making and the military while suppressing media freedoms.
The Chinese delegation present in the United States for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit did not immediately respond to Biden’s remark. Meanwhile, hundreds of Beijing critics marched through downtown San Francisco, chanting slogans demanding freedom for Tibet and Hong Kong.
China had previously dismissed Biden’s similar reference to Xi as a dictator in June, labeling the remarks absurd and provocative.
NEW: Secretary of State Antony Blinken seemed on edge this week at APEC where President Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
At one point, Blinken almost appeared to be crying while Biden was meeting with Xi.
In another clip, Blinken is clearly uneasy as Biden refers to… pic.twitter.com/eA5xkc9xOY
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 16, 2023
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