this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023
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US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he still believes Chinese President Xi Jinping is a dictator, even as the two leaders made progress in their relationship during a meeting outside San Francisco.

“Well, look, he’s a dictator in the sense that he is a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours,” Biden told CNN’s MJ Lee. “Anyway, we made progress.”

When asked about Biden’s latest comment at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Thursday, a spokesperson called it “extremely erroneous” and an “irresponsible political maneuver, which China firmly opposes.”

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[–] BloodSlut@lemmy.world 102 points 11 months ago (5 children)

What a weird way to define a dictator.

Not "he has been in power for an extended period of time in a country with a single ruling party."

But "he runs a communist country that has a different government than ours"?

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 33 points 11 months ago (12 children)

I'm not a big fan of President Biden after some consideration I've decided I do like his answer. It's nuanced, which means the Internet won't understand it, but it answered the question correctly (Yes he is) while making it clear that other countries have different styles of Government that we may not like but must accept if we want to have relations with them.

Countries with Liberal Democracies, like the United States, have no responsibility to lie about another countries style of Government to spare their feelings but we also don't need to let our distaste preclude us from talking to them.

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[–] MindSkipperBro12@lemmy.world 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Probably aiming for the elderly votes or something. Then again, the guy is old himself so I don’t know.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 8 points 11 months ago

Then again, the guy is old himself so I don’t know.

The core problem, sadly. Millennials and younger can't relate to his worldview without doing a generational-history deep dive.

I'll still vote for him if he's the frontrunner, because I don't enjoy the thought of the fascist alternative, and he's done a better job than I expected in a lot of areas, but he won't get my vote in the primaries.

[–] bitsplease@lemmy.ml 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

In what sense is modern China a communist country?

[–] gregorum@lemm.ee 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They insist very much that they’re communist. Like, a lot. It’s even on their letterhead and business cards and website!

[–] davepleasebehave@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

like the USA likes to imagine it is democratic rather than an oligarchy.

[–] gregorum@lemm.ee 15 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I’d argue that we’re way more democratic than they are communist. But that would be a very long and tedious argument.

[–] Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is basically the Democratic Socialist argument against China. If democracy is a prerequisite for "true socialism", then the USA is actually closer to achieving that than China.

[–] Cowbee@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

A few things:

Democratic Socialism isn't necessarily the only democratic form of Socialism. DemSoc refers to a Socialist system with Liberal Democracy, as opposed to forms like ParEcon, Council Communism, Syndicalism, Soviet Democracy, etc.

Secondly, technically China subscribes to a form of Democracy, based on the concept of Democratic Centralism.

I personally don't think the US or China is actually very Democratic, neither are truly accountable to the will of the people. The US is slightly more democratic, but it isn't saying much.

[–] Bernie_Sandals@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Agree with almost everything you said, didn't mean to come off like I was saying Democratic Socialism is the only form of Socialism with Democracy. I used democratic socialism use DemSocs are a bit more prevalent.

I am always dubious of "Democratic Centralism" though, at least in mainstream ML parties. Always seems to be a way to ban factionalism and therefore any opinion dissenting from the party line.

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[–] markr@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

They think that they are. Part of marxist theory, at least traditional 'orthodox' marxist theory is that the development of a capitalist mode of production is essential to development of revolutionary consciousness in the proletariat. The CCP keeps its oligarchs on a leash. They have been allowed to prosper only as part of the rapid modernization of the Chinese economy over the last 30-40 years.

[–] Uniquitous@lemmy.one 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Why is that weird? Seems fairly commonplace to me. Like, not that it's necessarily correct, just not weird at all.

[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Because it is fundamentally wrong.

[–] Uniquitous@lemmy.one 3 points 11 months ago

Wrong != weird.

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[–] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 69 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I mean he literally abolished the term limits which were put in place to prevent another dictator from taking power in China.

[–] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

He also has complete control over the party that controls the chinese equivalent of a congress, who then votes him into power. He won the last election with 100% of the vote, 2,952 For and 25 Absent.

[–] Octavio@lemmy.world 65 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

And I'm pretty sure Xi wouldn't deny it in private.

[–] occhionaut@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

In private, whoever said it would be killed summarily.

[–] Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 30 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Gee, I hope the Chinese dictator isn't offended.

You realize if Biden had failed to call Xi a dictator, they'd be squawking about how he was weak.

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[–] Zehzin@lemmy.world 17 points 11 months ago (2 children)

"And if there's one thing we love, it's dictators. Just ask our biggest ally, Saudi Arabia."

[–] photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Biggest ally isn't the descriptor I'd use for the Saudis...

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[–] recapitated@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do we really need a news article for every sentence uttered?

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This headline, while accurate, puts Biden's statement in a way most likely to undermine current cooperations with China. The goal is to offend Xi and scuttle any deals reached, and if that doesn't work, at least it paints Biden as a hypocrite for working with a dictator.

It's scortched earth politics. It's not meant to be news.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

at least it paints Biden as a hypocrite for working with a dictator.

The United States has generally had no problem working with anyone, including Dictators. We've only every refused to do so when their crimes grow so obscenely large that they literally cannot be overlooked.

[–] cecinestpasunbot@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

You underestimate how much the US is willing to overlook. I think it’s more fair to say they’ll work with anyone who benefits them up until the point they become a liability.

[–] SilentStorms@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Did anyone else see that camera on Blinken wincing when he said it?

It's gold.

[–] Gargantu8@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Gargantu8@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Wow. Thank you so much. Do you think Biden shouldn't have said this?

[–] Sorgan71@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] MotoAsh@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

He is correct in the label and completely wrong with the explanation.

[–] Veneroso@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

And water is wet. What else?

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 11 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


When asked about Biden’s latest comment at a Chinese Foreign Ministry briefing on Thursday, a spokesperson called it “extremely erroneous” and an “irresponsible political maneuver, which China firmly opposes.”

Beijing responded furiously over the summer when the president made a similar comment and compared his Chinese counterpart to “dictators” in June.

The president made that comment during an off-camera campaign reception in California, hitting Xi for being caught by surprise after the US had shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had veered off course over the United States.

“The remarks seriously contradict basic facts, seriously violate diplomatic etiquette, and seriously infringe on China’s political dignity,” the spokesperson for the foreign ministry said.

Wednesday’s comment could threaten to derail the positive energy coming out of the meeting, which Biden described earlier in the news conference as “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”

“Both sides should understand each other’s principles and bottom lines, not make or stir up trouble or cross boundaries, (but instead) communicate more, have more dialogue and more discussions, and handle differences and accidents calmly,” Xi said.


The original article contains 533 words, the summary contains 183 words. Saved 66%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

I mean Biden casually bribed the Pakistan army to remove the previous government and yet he calls Pakistan a totally legit democracy even though elections still haven't happened.

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