"On the Day of 'US-China Summit Meeting' Remarks... Biden Calls Xi Jinping a 'Dictator' (Summary)"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who completed his visit to China, expressed hope that a face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will take place within a few months. With Blinken's visit to China reopening high-level dialogue channels between the U.S. and China, there is speculation that the two leaders might meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November in San Francisco, U.S.

After concluding his two-day visit to China and arriving in the United Kingdom, Secretary Blinken appeared on ABC's Good Morning America on the 20th (local time) and emphasized, "Ultimately, nothing can replace the 'leader-to-leader' relationship between President Biden and Chairman Xi." When asked if he expects a face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders within the next few months, he described his visit as "a process" and said, "We will see more high-level contacts and engagement in the coming weeks or months." He added, "During my meeting with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, I invited him to visit Washington, D.C., and he accepted."

From the 18th to 19th, Blinken became the first U.S. Secretary of State in five years to visit China, meeting sequentially with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Wang Yi, member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, and President Xi Jinping. The meeting with President Xi, which was not disclosed in advance, led to analyses that this encounter could lay the groundwork for a U.S.-China summit between the two heads of state.

Secretary Blinken stressed, "Dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese leaders is truly important," adding, "President Biden has known Chairman Xi for years. He spent a lot of time with him during the Obama administration when he was Vice President. This is an existing relationship, but it is important that they have direct contact."

Given President Biden's recent statement expressing hope to meet Chairman Xi again within a few months, there is a possibility that the two leaders will hold talks at the APEC summit in San Francisco, California, this November. Prior to the summit, visits are expected to include Foreign Minister Qin Gang's trip to the U.S., as well as visits to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the day after Secretary Blinken met with Chairman Xi, President Biden indirectly referred to Xi as a "dictator" during a fundraising event held in California. Explaining the situation when the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that entered U.S. airspace in February, he said, "The reason Xi Jinping was very upset when I shot down the balloon carrying intelligence equipment equivalent to two vehicles was because he didn’t know it was there," adding, "Not knowing what is happening is an embarrassment for dictators."

This "dictator" remark came just one day after praising Secretary Blinken’s visit to China and stating that "there has been progress in U.S.-China relations." AFP reported that President Biden equated Chairman Xi with dictators. The British BBC emphasized, "President Biden’s remarks came just one day after the Beijing meeting aimed at easing tensions between the two countries," and noted that "the Chinese government has yet to issue an official response to President Biden’s comments."