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The Jerusalem Post

China enraged after Germany's FM calls Xi Jinping a dictator

 
 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attends a joint press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, April 14, 2023. (photo credit: SUO TAKEKUMA/POOL VIA REUTERS)
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attends a joint press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (not pictured) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, April 14, 2023.
(photo credit: SUO TAKEKUMA/POOL VIA REUTERS)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the remarks in a live interview with Fox News last week when asked about Russia's war on Ukraine.

China has complained to Germany after its foreign minister labeled President Xi Jinping a "dictator," the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday, calling the title "absurd" and an "open political provocation."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the remarks in a live interview with Fox News last week when asked about Russia's war on Ukraine.

"If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president?" she said.

Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said Baerbock's remarks were "extremely absurd" and infringed on China's political dignity.

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"They are an open political provocation," Mao told a regular press briefing, adding that China had complained to Germany.

 Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the plenary session of the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 23, 2023. (credit: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the plenary session of the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 23, 2023. (credit: GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

Baerbock is an outspoken critic of China

In August, she said China posed a challenge to the "fundamentals of how we live together in this world."

Earlier, she described aspects of a trip to China as "more than shocking" and said Beijing was increasingly becoming more of a systemic rival than a trade partner.

In June, US President Joe Biden also called Xi a "dictator" a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to China aimed at stabilizing ties.

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