President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator on an unscheduled campaign trip. Just one day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China, during which he attempted to ease tensions between the two countries, this comment was made.
The COVID-19 outbreak, tensions over Taiwan, and the recent “spy balloon” incident all served as backdrops to Blinken’s visit, the first by a top U.S. ambassador in five years. There was an acknowledgment of progress between Washington and Beijing, but no concrete examples were given during the visit.
President Biden’s comments were met with silence from China. To top off his reappointment as head of the ruling Communist Party in October, Xi clinched an unprecedented third term as president in March. Because of this, he is now the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong.
President Biden echoed this sentiment, saying that the United States is aware that China is having economic difficulties. Both industrial output and retail sales growth in China fell short of estimates in May, causing the Chinese economy to take a hit. This has raised hopes that Beijing can stabilize its post-pandemic recovery with additional measures.
In contrast, the World Bank has recently predicted a growth rate of 1.1 percent for the U.S. in 2023, which is more than double the 0.5 percent projection given in January. Meanwhile, China’s GDP is anticipated to hit 5.6%, up from the 4.3% predicted earlier this year.
The meeting between Blinken and Xi on Monday resulted in an agreement to keep the United States and China from going to war over their longstanding enmity. Unfortunately, the trip did not result in any major breakthroughs. Further visits by U.S. officials are scheduled for the following weeks and months, and both sides reaffirmed their dedication to maintaining diplomatic connections.
President Biden stated his confidence in the progress made during Blinken’s visit and his optimism about the future of relations between the two countries. Moreover, he disclosed that Xi had voiced concern over the Quad strategic security organization, which consists of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India. President Biden reassured Xi that the United States would not use the Quad to isolate China.
President Biden is set to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the coming days, and the two leaders are expected to talk about China.