After Long-Awaited Summit, Biden Labels Chinese President a Dictator

US President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that he has not changed his view that Chinese President Xi Jinping is, in fact, a dictator, a comment likely to resonate in Beijing following a direct summit between the two leaders after months of preparation. Biden held a solo press conference after his four-hour talks with Xi. At the end of the press conference, he was asked if he still sees Xi as a dictator, which he had previously stated. Biden responded, "Look, he is. He is a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a Communist country that’s based on a completely different form of government than ours." There was no immediate response from the Chinese delegation that came to the US for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. Hundreds of Beijing critics organized a rally in the city center chanting "Free Tibet" and "Free Hong Kong." When similar remarks were made by Biden in June, China described them as ridiculous and provocative. However, the dispute did not prevent both sides from holding extensive talks aimed at improving strained relations.