China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday condemned comments in which US President Joe Biden equated Chinese leader Xi Jinping with “dictators” as an “open political provocation”.
Speaking at a fundraising event in California on Tuesday, Mr Biden said Mr Xi had been angered over an incident in February when a Chinese balloon – which Washington says was used for spying – flew over the US before being shot down by American military jets, AFP reported.
His comments come days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing aimed at re-establishing lines of communication to avoid conflict between the two global powers.
“The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment is he didn't know it was there,” Mr Biden said.
“I'm serious. That was the great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn't know what happened.”
The Chinese ministry condemned Mr Biden's comments.
“They're an open political provocation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.
“The relevant remarks by the US side are extremely ridiculous and irresponsible, they seriously violate basic facts, diplomatic protocol and China's political dignity.
“China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this.”
On Wednesday, the State Department rebuffed any indication that the President's comments had derailed the progress made on Mr Blinken's trip.
“Not at all,” said spokesman Vedant Patel.
“The President believes that diplomacy, including this recent trip undertaken by the Secretary, is a responsible way to manage tensions, clear up misperceptions, avoid miscalculations and all of this is in our interest to do that.
“That does not mean of course, we will not be blunt and forthright about our differences.”
The rivalry between China and the US turned into a full-blown diplomatic crisis with February's balloon incident.
Beijing on Wednesday reiterated its protest against Washington's decision to shoot it down.
“The United States should have dealt with it calmly, rationally and professionally, but its distortion of facts, abuse of force, and escalation of hype have fully exposed its hegemonic and bullying nature,” Ms Mao said.
Russia also criticised Mr Biden's comment, with the Kremlin on Wednesday saying it reflected Washington's “unpredictable” foreign policy.
“This is a very contradictory manifestation of US foreign policy, which points to a significant element of unpredictability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Mr Biden, who at 80 is running for re-election, on Tuesday told donors that “we're in a situation now where [Mr Xi] wants to have a relationship again”.
Mr Blinken “did a good job” on his Beijing trip, but “it's going to take time”, Mr Biden added.
The US President also brought up another prickly point regarding China: a recent summit in which leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the US – known as the Quad group – sought to boost peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific maritime region.
The four countries are “working hand in glove in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean”, Mr Biden said.
“What he [Mr Xi] was really upset about was that I insisted that we unite the … so-called Quad,” Mr Biden said.
Tuesday was not the first time Mr Biden has made significant, even provocative, statements at fundraising receptions. These are usually small-scale events at which cameras and recordings are forbidden but where journalists may listen to and transcribe the President's opening remarks.
At one such event last October, Mr Biden spoke of the threat of nuclear “Armageddon” from Russia.
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
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