US president says he still considers China's Xi a 'dictator'

WASHINGTON

Fresh from holding face-to-face talks with his Chinese counterpart, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he still considers Xi Jinping a "dictator.”

"Well, look, he is. I mean he’s a dictator in the sense that here’s a guy who runs a country that is a Communist country based on a form of government totally different than ours," Biden told a news conference after meeting with Xi for the first time in a year.

Biden said he held "constructive and productive" talks with Xi in San Francisco, California on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific conference, adding that he believes they made "some important progress."

The president announced that the US and China are restarting cooperation against the illegal drug trade, working to reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses fueling the fentanyl crisis.

Biden also described as "critically important" that the two countries are resuming military-to-military communications, which paves the way for "clear and open" communication between the defense establishments to avoid miscalculations by either side and preventing conflict.

The president also announced that Washington and Beijing will get their experts together to discuss the risks of artificial intelligence.

Turning to Taiwan, Biden said he stressed to Xi the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits, and also made it clear that he did not expect any interference in elections in Taiwan – which China sees as its own territory – set for next January.

Biden also said he will continue to preserve and pursue high-level diplomacy with China in the months ahead.

"We’re talking to our competitors and just talking, just being blunt with one another, so there’s no misunderstanding, as a key element to maintaining global stability and delivering for the American people," he added.