The US president said his Chinese counterpart was upset because he didn't know a balloon shot down over the US had been blown off course, something that was "embarrassing for dictators."
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday likened Chinese President Xi Jinping to a "dictator." The comment came just a day after top US diplomat Antony Blinken's trip to Beijing aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.
What does Joe Biden mean by calling his Chinese counterpart a dictator? Does China itself see the Chinese president as a dictator? If so, why do the Chinese people accept a dictator ruling the country?
Associate Professor in Cornell University’s Government Department and expert focuses on issues related to Chinese politics and foreign policy and Asian security, Allen Carlson clarified all the questions to Ednews.
A.Carlson said that President Biden does not exactly have a reputation for being a wordsmith, so this could have simply been a slip of the tongue, a presidential gaffe:
“But, that being said, the rhetoric in U.S. political circles about China over the last several years has circled around similar terminology (although the term most often used to describe the country is "authoritarian regime), and in this sense, Biden may just be adding his voice to the chorus. Moreover, by doing so he may be attempting to silence domestic critics of his administration's recent efforts to stabilize the U.S.-China relationship.”
The political expert added that China does not see the Chinese president as a dictator:
“Xi appears to enjoy broad-based support from most within China, although there are tenacious pockets of dissent too (although primarily within the country's territorial periphery, such as in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong).”
Allen Carlson explained the reasons why the Chinese people accept a dictator ruling the country.
“There are multiple reasons, for one, for the most part under Xi the Chinese economy has continued to prosper, and done so in a way that has benefited many within the country. Secondly, his administration has assiduously promoted patriotic and nationalist sentiment within China and done so in a way that has shored up the legitimacy of his rule. Third, he has strictly limited (via censorship, surveillance, and detentions) the space for dissenting voices to be heard within the country.”
Ulviyya Shahin
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