Former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen has defended Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s reaction to President Biden calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator. Mullen stated that wincing at such name-calling was an accurate reaction and that name-calling at such a high level does not help and lacks respect. Despite criticizing Biden’s comments, Mullen praised the President’s meeting with Xi, warning that future U.S.-China relations may still be difficult.
The controversy stems from Biden calling Xi a “dictator” after a meeting with the Chinese leader in California, where both parties discussed resuming military-to-military communication and addressing the influx of fentanyl into the U.S. A video circulating on social media showed Blinken wincing at Biden’s off-the-cuff response, as they were exiting a press conference, to a question about referring to Xi as a dictator. This incident resulted in initial tensions and pushback from China, stating they “strongly oppose” the comments. Despite the criticism, Biden claimed the meeting was crucial, as he was “blunt” with Xi about their areas of tension, while also touting cooperation between the two nations.
Mullen praised the reestablishment of military-to-military communications between the U.S. and China as a significant accomplishment arising from the meeting but also cautioned that the relationship between the two countries is and will continue to be “difficult” in the future. He emphasized the importance of the meeting in resolving the issues with military communication between the two superpowers. This development may signal an improvement in U.S.-China relations, even though the future relationship between both countries remains uncertain.
