US on Biden's 'Dictator Xi Jinping' Remark: "Just Pointing Out US-China Differences"

The U.S. government stated on the 21st (local time) that there is no need for clarification regarding President Joe Biden calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a "dictator," which China protested, explaining that it was a mention of the differences between China and the United States.

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, said at a briefing that day in response to related questions, "President Biden and Secretary Tony Blinken have made it very clear that they will continue to responsibly manage U.S.-China relations and maintain open channels of communication," adding, "But that does not mean we will not be frank about our differences."

Deputy Spokesperson Patel stated, "We are very clear about areas where we disagree, including the clear differences between democracy and autocracy," and "We are also clear that we will not hesitate to defend our values." In other words, he conveyed that Biden’s remarks were not a slip of the tongue but rather a discussion of the fundamental differences between democracy and dictatorship between the U.S. and China.

He continued, "The important thing is that it is not surprising that there are differences and disagreements between the U.S. and China," and explained, "President Biden and Secretary Blinken believe in diplomacy. They consider the recent ministerial visit to China to have been a responsible way to manage tensions, avoid miscalculations that could lead to additional risks, and clear up misunderstandings."

However, he reiterated, "We will not hesitate to speak frankly about areas where we disagree or have some differences," emphasizing, "We do not believe President Biden’s remarks require further clarification or interpretation."

He added, "We have been quite clear, and that aligns with our approach regarding China."

Earlier, President Biden, at a fundraising event the previous day, pointed out regarding the Chinese surveillance balloon shootdown incident, "The reason Xi Jinping was very upset was because he did not know the fact that it was there," and said, "Not knowing what happened is a great embarrassment for dictators."

In response, the Chinese government immediately protested, calling it a "public political provocation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.