Secretary of State Antony Blinken stood by earlier comments from President Joe Biden calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a dictator, saying “the president speaks for all of us.”
Biden earlier referred to Xi as a “dictator” during a fundraiser event in California, just a day after Blinken reported having had a “robust conversation” with the Chinese Communist Party head in Beijing.
The comment drew the ire of Chinese officials, who called it a “political provocation.” Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden’s statement “seriously violated China’s political dignity.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends a press conference at the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, in China’s northern Shaanxi Province on May 19, 2023. (Florence Lo/AFP via Getty Images)
Blinken said during a June 25 appearance on “State of the Union” that he stands by the president’s comment, coming after Biden himself predicted that the comment would have no real effect on relations with China….