Joe Biden’s Controversial Remarks Strain US-China Relations

A new blunder in a social event or a deliberate tension? Comments by Joe Biden during a fundraiser on Tuesday in California again strain relations between Washington and Beijing. Referring to the case of the Chinese spy balloon shot down by the United States in February after flying over the country, the American president explained that “the reason why Xi Jinping was very upset when I shot down this balloon […]he didn’t know he was there.

“This is what embarrasses dictators a lot, when they don’t know what happened,” he said, immediately provoking the annoyance of the Chinese authorities. “This remark from the American side is really absurd, very irresponsible and does not reflect reality”, judged in response a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, during a press briefing.

The status of Joe Biden’s remarks is complex. Organized at the home of Democratic donors near San Francisco, the meeting was an event of “candidate” Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election. But it was, like each trip of the president, followed and relayed by a pool of media. And the text of his speech was published in full by the services of the White House, giving it an official character.

Spurred on by a Republican camp hostile to China and Russia, Joe Biden is never stingy with harsh comments on authoritarian leaders. When a journalist asked him if Vladimir Putin was a “killer” – before the invasion of Ukraine – he replied in the affirmative. And he has since also classified the Russian president in the category of “dictators”.

Joe Biden’s sting with regard to his counterpart, however, fuels the chronicle of moods the day after an attempt at de-escalation by the American side. Four months after having canceled his visit to Beijing because of a spy balloon, the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken has just gone there and met the Chinese president. “My hope and my expectations are that we will have better communications, better engagement in the future,” concluded the American diplomat at the end of his two-day visit.

This is also, paradoxically, what Joe Biden confirmed after his comments. “What is very important is that (Xi Jinping) is now in a situation where he wants to renew relations,” he explained in California, judging however that this would “take time”.

Basically, each side is consolidating its positions in its opponent’s zone of influence. The United States has strengthened its ties with Australia, Japan and India around the Indo-Pacific and is maintaining pressure on Taiwan, while Washington is now worried about China’s desire for cooperation with Cuba, immediate neighbor of the United States.

“I made it clear that we would be deeply concerned about China’s military or intelligence activities in Cuba,” Antony Blinken said in London on Tuesday after his visit to China.

Was Biden’s remark about the Chinese President lacking prudence and potentially damaging to US-China relations

Den’s presidential campaign. As such, it can be seen as a blunder in a social event, where leaders often have a looser grip on their words compared to official diplomatic channels. However, given the strained relations between Washington and Beijing, it is possible that Biden’s comments were a deliberate attempt to add tension and send a message to China.

During the fundraiser, Biden referred to the incident in February when the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had flown over the country without China’s knowledge. By highlighting that the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, was unaware of the balloon’s presence, Biden suggested that this lack of knowledge was embarrassing for dictators like Jinping. This comment immediately provoked the annoyance of the Chinese authorities.

In response, a spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy deemed Biden’s remark “absurd” and “irresponsible”, stating that it did not reflect reality.

The complexity of Biden’s remarks lies in the context of the event. The fundraiser took place at the home of Democratic donors near San Francisco and was part of Biden’s presidential campaign. While it may not have been an official diplomatic setting, world leaders are expected to exercise caution and restraint in their public statements, especially considering the delicate state of US-China relations. Biden’s comment could be seen as lacking this prudence and potentially damaging to the already strained relationship between the two countries.

It remains unclear whether Biden’s comment was an unintentional blunder or a calculated move to create tension. However, what is clear is that his statement has further strained relations between Washington and Beijing, and has been met with strong rebuke from the Chinese authorities.