Chris Hipkins, the prime minister of New Zealand, disagreed with US President Joe Biden’s description of Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator. Hipkins will travel to China on business at the end of this month.
Hipkins expressed the view that the choice of China’s form of governance should be made by the Chinese people themselves.
Biden’s Labeling Xi Jinping as Dictator Ahead of China Visit
When asked if the Chinese people had a say in their system of administration during a press conference, Hipkins replied that it would ultimately be up to them if they wanted to change it.
Hipkins will be heading a trade delegation made up of well-known New Zealand enterprises during his trip to China, which is slated to take place from June 25 to June 30.
He will meet with leaders including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Zhao Leji, the head of the NPC standing committee, as part of his schedule.
These interactions are intended to advance bilateral cooperation and improve trade links between China and New Zealand.
China promptly responded to Biden’s speech on Wednesday, describing it as ludicrous and provocative.
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Tensions Between US And China
At a time when both nations had been working to ease tensions and promote a more cooperative relationship, this unexpected verbal exchange occurred.
Only one day after visiting Xi Jinping to try to defuse tensions, Joe Biden made impromptu remarks about the Chinese leader during a campaign rally.
In spite of COVID, tensions with Taiwan, and the spy balloon controversy, Blinken made history by becoming the first senior US diplomat to visit China in five years.
Without providing specific instances, Washington and Beijing claimed that progress had been made.
Blinken’s work, though, was quickly overshadowed by Biden’s comments on Tuesday at a fundraiser in California.
In reference to the February incident, Biden remarked, “Xi Jinping got extremely furious because he didn’t know it was there when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of surveillance equipment in it.
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