China has issued a formal reprimand to the U.S. Ambassador in Beijing after President Joe Biden referred to Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “dictator,” the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, despite Biden claiming his comments had no consequence.
U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, center, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony ... [+]
On the heels of U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken concluding his visit to China, the country issued a démarche, which is an official complaint filed by one country against another, to U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns’ office, U.S. officials told the Journal.
This was done after Biden referred to Xi as a dictator during a press conference Tuesday, saying that the Chinese spy balloon incident in late January and early February was “a great embarrassment for dictators,” specifically Xi, who has served as president for a decade and is elected by the country’s Communist Party-dominated legislature rather than through broad popular votes.
China responded angrily, calling Biden’s remark "extremely absurd and irresponsible."
Despite this sharp rebuke from China, Biden claims he doesn’t believe his comments harmed U.S.-China relations, saying “I expect to be meeting with President Xi sometime in the future, the near term, and I don’t think it’s had any consequence,” during a press conference Thursday.