China slams Germany after Baerbock labels Xi Jinping a ‘dictator’

China has lambasted German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on her remark against Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is to be noted that Baerbock has  labelled Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator.” China's criticism of the German minister comes after she had given an interview to Fox News, as per politico reports.  

While giving an interview to the news channel, Baerbock was underlining Germany’s support for Ukraine, in which she fired a broadside at China's President Xi. The condemnation by the Chinese government comes after a week later. It is to be noted that China has been supporting Russia in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.  

China slams German Foreign Minister

According to the local news, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said “China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposes the German side’s remarks, which are extremely absurd, a serious infringement of China’s political dignity and an open political provocation,” on Monday, September 18. Further, she added that China has initiated serious inquiries into the German side through diplomatic channels.  

Is Xi a dictator?

While affirming its support for the war-torn country Ukraine, the German Foreign Minister said, “We will support Ukraine as long as it takes,” on Friday, September 15. On how Berlin saw the end of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine,  Baerbock said, “If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president? Therefore, Ukraine has to win this war,” reported Politico.  

Notably, Baerbock’s comment comes amid the recent trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen affirmed that the EU executive would launch an investigation into Chinese electric vehicle subsidies. 

Also, note that this is not the first time a foreign leader has called Xi Jinping a "Dictator". Earlier, US President Joe Biden also called Xi a dictator while addressing a Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down earlier this year. Later, this comment was defended by Biden where he said that his words would have no negative impact on U.S.-China relations and that he still expects to meet with Xi sometime soon.