Biden's "dictator" comment towards Xi Jinping strains US-China relations.

China's foreign ministry has accused President Biden of "open political provocation" after he equated Chinese leader Xi Jinping with "dictators" at a fundraiser in California. The comments come just days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing aimed at re-establishing lines of communication. A senior Biden administration official responded, saying "it should come as no surprise" that Mr. Biden spoke "candidly about China and the differences that we have." The multi-faceted rivalry between China and the United States turned into a full-blown diplomatic crisis with February's balloon incident.