21-6-2023 (WASHINGTON) President Joe Biden openly referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator while discussing the shooting down of a spy balloon by the United States in February. Biden made these remarks during a campaign event in Kentfield, Calif., emphasizing the embarrassment dictators face when they are unaware of certain events.
According to a White House pool report, Biden stated, “The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn’t know it was there. That was the great embarrassment for dictators when they didn’t know what happened.”
The incident involving an unidentified Chinese surveillance balloon traversing the continental United States captured widespread attention in early February. It raised bipartisan concerns about foreign intrusion into American airspace, ultimately leading to an American fighter jet shooting down the balloon off the coast of the Carolinas.
Regarding the balloon’s path, Biden mentioned, “It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States, and he didn’t know about it.” However, Biden did not elaborate on why he believed this to be the case.
President Biden’s comments followed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to China, where he held a meeting with President Xi Jinping on Monday. The trip, initially scheduled for February but delayed due to the spy balloon incident, aimed to address various ongoing political concerns, including the Taiwan issue and China’s involvement in the American opioid epidemic.
During his visit, Secretary Blinken acknowledged the significant differences between the two countries but expressed a shared commitment to maintaining a meaningful relationship. “The United States is committed to doing that,” he affirmed.
