Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, or the Russian Parliament), spoke on POTUS calling President Xi Jinping a "dictator". Babakov commented that the US pursues a "neocolonial" policy and stated that Biden cannot be considered seriously as a global partner.
Earlier, the press office for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has given a strong statement regarding Biden's remark, calling it "wrong and irresponsible".
"We must understand that using the word 'dictator' in reference to Xi Jinping, the leader of the world's largest nation and economy, was not a mere slip of the tongue by an elderly and forgetful Biden. This is the official neocolonial stance of the entire American political establishment," Babakov said.
He further elaborated that for the US, such neocolonial policy is not only a strategy, but the current mission of the country.
At the same time, the US believes that power dominance is the only viable tool to foster profitable relations, including in trade. In recent years, the US has unilaterally imposed strict protective tariffs on Chinese industries such as IT, steel, aluminum, agriculture, etc., the politician added.
"We consider such rhetoric against the Chinese leader as a clear expression of duplicity and unfriendly steps on the part of the US. Moreover, if President Biden does not understand the power of words, he cannot even be considered a global partner," Babakov asserted.
In this context, the stark difference between the US-China and Russia-China relations becomes evident. Both the Russian and Chinese leaders are true to their word and are very thoughtful in their statements. They show their commitment to a common agenda both within the framework of bilateral and multilateral relations, such as BRICS. At the same time, they always respect the interests of their people, the MP stressed.
On Wednesday, Xi Jinping arrived in California for a bilateral meeting with the US president to discuss a range of bilateral and international issues on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco from November 11-17.
After the meeting, Biden held a press conference where he said he had one of the most productive meetings he has had with the Chinese leader, noting that their relationship goes back to when they were both vice presidents of their respective countries. However, when a reporter asked if he the US president believed Xi was a "dictator," as Biden said he did earlier this year, he confirmed that he still does.