Biden labels Chinese President Xi a dictator

U.S. President Joe Biden referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping arsenic a dictator successful comments underscoring the tricky equilibrium of managing ties with an assertive planetary rival portion appealing to home audiences arsenic helium seeks re-election.

Biden's remark astatine a Tuesday fundraiser comes conscionable a time aft Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his archetypal authoritative sojourn to Beijing.

That travel was aimed astatine mending ties betwixt the 2 planetary powers that person deed stone bottommost aft the U.S. successful February shot down what it described arsenic a surveillance balloon — a assertion China denies — disconnected the seashore of South Carolina.

"The crushed wherefore Xi Jinping got precise upset successful presumption of erstwhile I changeable that balloon down with 2 container cars afloat of spy instrumentality is helium didn't cognize it was there," Biden told a fundraiser successful Kentfield, California, successful enactment of his bid for a 2nd statesmanlike word astatine the 2024 elections.

"That was the large embarrassment for dictators, erstwhile they didn't cognize what happened. That wasn't expected to beryllium going wherever it was," helium added.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not beryllium instantly reached for remark erstwhile contacted by CNBC.

Blinken postponed the Beijing trip, which was primitively scheduled for February, aft the stray balloon incident. His sojourn implicit the play marked a resumption of high-level U.S.-China authorities meetings aft a tense four-plus months.

While his ngo was mostly seen arsenic palmy successful getting the 2 planetary powers communicating again, Blinken was incapable to revive military-to-military talks with China.

"We're successful a concern present wherever helium wants to person a narration again," Biden said. "Antony Blinken conscionable went implicit determination ... did a bully occupation and it's going to instrumentality time," Biden said precocious Tuesday.