China has complained after the German foreign minister referred to President Xi Jinping as a ‘dictator,’ calling it an absurd and an ‘open political provocation’ for the offense.
The remarks came from German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock last week during an interview with Fox News regarding 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.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the remarks “extremely absurd” and said that it infringed on China’s political dignity. “They are an open political provocation,” said Ning of the comment.
Annalena Baerbock is known as an outspoken critic of China. In August, Baerbock said China posed a challenge to the “fundamentals of how we live together in this world” and described her trip to China as “more than shocking” as she felt China was becoming more of a systemic rival than a trade partner.
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