The comments made by the US president are “absurd” and “an open political provocation,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Beijing has responded to US Vice President Joe Biden’s comments labeling Chinese President Xi Jinping “a dictator,” saying the words are blatantly disrespectful.
As he addressed the controversy involving a Chinese balloon that had earlier this year breached US airspace, Biden suggested on Tuesday at a fundraiser in California that Xi did not even know the vessel was there.
“That causes dictators a lot of shame. when they were unaware of what had happened. It was not intended for that [balloon] to travel in that direction. At the time, he declared, “It was blown off course.
Speaking at a routine press briefing on Wednesday, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, called the comments “extremely absurd” and said they “seriously violated China’s political dignity.” Such claims, according to her, also go against diplomatic protocol and are untrue.
Mao emphasized, “It is an open political provocation.”
The spokesperson also reaffirmed China’s view that the balloon strayed into US airspace because of “force majeure factors,” contrary to what Washington has said it was doing while trying to monitor critical sites in the mainland United States.
The use of force by the US side, she claimed, “fully reflected the US’ bullying and hegemonic nature.”
A historic trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing, where he met with Xi and other top Chinese officials, preceded the back-and-forth between China and the US.
The top US ambassador claimed on Monday that both nations had made “progress” toward normalizing their bilateral relations. To ensure that their relationship “does not veer into conflict,” Blinken also promised that the US would “responsibly manage” rivalry with China.
Beijing “respects US interests and does not seek to challenge or displace the United States,” Xi said during the meeting with Blinken, adding that Washington likewise “needs to respect China” and not interfere with its legal rights and interests.
Relations between China and the US have suffered in recent months due to a number of conflicts, with Taiwan being one of the most contentious. China has often objected against the United States’ sale of military hardware to Taipei because it views the autonomous island as a part of its own territory.