Biden Stands by 'Dictator' Comment on Xi Jinping Despite Backlash

President Biden defended calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and characterized the American relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as different from the one with Xi because India shares the same “democratic character” as the United States. However, Biden did not address concerns of human rights groups, lawmakers, and scholars who have written open letters to the White House and published opinion pieces in American media outlets spotlighting the erosion of democratic principles in India on Modi’s watch. Modi pushed back, arguing that democracy is a fundamental value in India and insisting that there is “absolutely no space for discrimination” in his government.