China has lashed out at Germany after its foreign minister called Xi Jinping a “dictator” and summoned Berlin’s ambassador for a dressing down, in the latest flaring of tensions with a western democratic power over how the Chinese leader is described overseas.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made the remarks in an interview with Fox News during a visit to the United States last week.
When asked about Russia’s war on Ukraine, she 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?”
The Chinese government on Sunday summoned Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flor, to protest Baerbock’s comments, a German foreign ministry spokesperson told CNN Monday.
Man authoritarians hate being told they’re authoritarians
What sucks is some people try to pretend they’re not.
I can’t take a single person serious that claims China is Communist or North Korea is a democracy
What are you talking about? It’s the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea… democracy is right there in the name! /s
I find it worse though, when authoritarianism is overlooked un favor of short term economic gains, like we (the west) did for the past 20 years until China now is strong enough to rival us on the geopolitical stage.
It’s not authoritarianism! It’s just a very repressive regime with Chinese characteristics.
But mah facade!
Typical dickheads authortorians
“President-for-life Xi who commanded me to say this under penalty of torture is not a dictator! How dare you!”
Lmao
L-Mao?
Laugh my ass off
I really shouldn’t have been drinking something carbonated when I read that.
He prefers Xinnie
Stop dictating maybe?
-dictated but not read
The people around him makes him like that, it’s unhelpful to his behaviour. Their sensitivity is making people insecure and fear. This is unhealthy.
People are situational and each of us is worthy of love, but I’m not Steven Universe. I’m just a quippy internet guy who is angry about bad stuff, and I don’t care if he finds it hard to be a good leader. It’s his job to try and his government is very frequently terrible.
Inb4 hexberians have a hissy fit and call me racist for hating on one guy.
Becoming upset with and threatening punishment of dissenting voices is usually a sign of dictatorships. Why’d the go and support the claim if they didn’t want people to believe it?
What? DICTATOR XI is rebranding!
Exciting Pokemon music ensues
Congratulations! Your - I mean Our - DICTATOR XI has rebranded into PASSIONATE LEADER XI!
… Sad Pokemon music whimpers
WHO’S. THAT. POKÉMON?!
Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit’s Dictator!
inb4 “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people”
yeah china has a long history with not facing the truth
Oh yeah
This is the best summary I could come up with:
China has lashed out at Germany after its foreign minister called Xi Jinping a “dictator” and summoned Berlin’s ambassador for a dressing down, in the latest flaring of tensions with a western democratic power over how the Chinese leader is described overseas.
The Chinese government on Sunday summoned Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flor, to protest Baerbock’s comments, a German foreign ministry spokesperson told CNN Monday.
Jiang, who died aged 96 last year, is remembered by many Chinese as a symbol for a bygone era when China was perceived to be freer and less ideologically driven under a system known as “collective leadership”.
That referred to a power-sharing arrangement among political elites introduced by paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to restore stability in the aftermath of Chairman Mao Zedong’s turbulent dictatorship.
Germany’s current government is made up of a centre-left coalition of parties that led to Angela Merkel stepping down in late 2021 after 16 years at the helm of Europe’s largest economy.
Foreign minister Baerbock hails from Germany’s Greens party and has pushed for a tougher stance on China, especially on the issues of human rights and Taiwan – a self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own.
The original article contains 830 words, the summary contains 198 words. Saved 76%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
