New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Thursday that he disagrees with President Joe Biden’s recent assessment that Chinese President Xi Jinping is a “dictator.”
Hipkins is due to make a state visit to China at the end of June, and reporters asked Thursday whether he agreed with Biden about Xi, the authoritarian ruler of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The premier said China’s domestic governance is a domestic issue for the Chinese people to deal with.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said ahead of an official visit to China later this month that he disagreed with US President Joe Biden’s statement that Chinese leader Xi Jinping is a dictator. https://t.co/ozXx6AJYAl pic.twitter.com/JBotwjht9P
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 22, 2023
“No, the form of government in China is the Chinese people’s problem,” said Hipkins. according to Reuters. “If they want to change the system of government, that’s their problem.”
The Biden administration has emphasized increasing investments in the Pacific to counter China’s influence in the Pacific, including islands adjacent to New Zealand.Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited new zealand In August 2022, it participated as part of a five-country visit to the region, signing an agreement for further cooperation in space exploration and emergency management.
New Zealand has also taken a tougher stance on China in recent months after working fairly closely with the Chinese government for decades. Then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern expressed concern over human rights violations and aggression in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. during a meeting He will meet with Xi in December 2022.
New Zealand is a member of the “Five Eyes” Intelligence Alliance, which includes Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. (Related: China hacked key networks to spy on US ahead of potential conflict, officials say)
The Chinese Communist Party has accused Mr. Biden of calling Mr. Xi a dictator and characterized his remarks as a “grave disregard for basic facts” and “overt political provocation.” Biden further emphasized his own remarks on Thursday, saying he doesn’t believe there will be “substantial consequences.”
