President Biden has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator one day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Xi intending to stabilize US relations with China.

In remarks at a private fundraiser in California, President Biden said, “The reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there. That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course.”

President Biden’s remarks, which included his opinion that China faces significant economic challenges, have yet to be publicly addressed by Xi. However, these statements could impede both nations’ efforts to return their relationship to a steadier state, particularly after the spy balloon incident. That’s a great embarrassment for dictators. When they didn’t know what happened. That wasn’t supposed to be going where it was. It was blown off course.”

During his meeting with Blinken, Xi agreed to work towards stabilizing the intense rivalry between Beijing and Washington to avoid escalating into conflict, yet the encounter did not result in any significant breakthroughs.

Despite the lack of significant outcomes, both parties agreed to continue diplomatic engagement, with more visits from US officials planned in the coming weeks and months. Additionally, Biden mentioned the possibility of US climate envoy John Kerry visiting China soon. He also indicated on Monday that he believed relations between the two countries were heading in the right direction, suggesting some progress during Blinken’s trip.