US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator at a fundraising event in California.
His comments came a day after US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken met with Mr Xi in Beijing, aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers.
Mr Xi said Beijing had made some progress, while Mr Blanken indicated the two sides were open to further talks.
China has not yet responded to Mr Biden’s comments.
President Biden also said at a fundraiser Tuesday night local time that Xi Jinping is embarrassed by the recent tensions surrounding a Chinese spy balloon that was blown up over the United States.
“The reason Xi was so upset, in the sense that when I shot this balloon down with two boxcars full of spy equipment, he didn’t know it was there,” Mr. Biden said. ” Mr. Biden said.
“It is a great shame for the dictators. When they did not know what happened.”
Mr Blanken’s visit to Beijing – the first by a top US diplomat in nearly five years – reignited high-level contacts between the two countries. Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi called it a welcome development. But Mr. Blanken made it clear that major differences remain between the two countries.
Washington and Beijing have long locked horns over a range of issues, including trade, human rights and Taiwan.
But relations have soured, particularly in the past year. With the U.S. election looming and tensions with China emerging as a political issue, some Republican senators have attacked the Biden administration for being “soft” on China.
