Biden Describes Chinese President as "Dictator" and Beijing Responds

U.S. President Joe Biden described his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as a "dictator," stating: "Xi was very embarrassed when a Chinese balloon was shot down over the United States this year." He added at a fundraising event in California: "The reason Xi Jinping was so upset when that balloon with spying equipment was shot down is that he did not know it was there." Biden continued: "This is a great source of embarrassment for dictators when they don't know what is happening. That balloon was not supposed to go there. It went off course." Biden made these comments the day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Xi during a visit to China aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday that "U.S. President Joe Biden's description of the Chinese president as a 'dictator' severely violates China's political dignity and amounts to open political provocation."