China lodges protest with Germany over labelling President Xi as dictator

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of Germany referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “dictator,” prompting China to submit an official protest with Berlin on Monday.

What signal would that send to other dictators across the world, including Xi, the Chinese president, if (President Vladimir) Putin were to win this war? Baerbock claimed as much in an interview she gave on Friday while in the United States.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly objected to Baerbock’s statements, calling them “an open political provocation.”

In response to a query at a media conference about the German Minister’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “We deplore and reject the remarks by the German side which are preposterous and extremely irresponsible.”

China has filed a diplomatic protest with Germany over Mao’s comments, which they find to be both factually incorrect and a breach of diplomatic protocol.

Vice President Joe Biden of the United States referred to Xi as a “dictator” earlier this year.

Xi, 70, is the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong because he controls the Communist Party and the military in addition to being the country’s president.

As Baerbock spoke, relations between China, the European Union, and Germany had been steadily deteriorating.

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, has recently announced that the EU executive will investigate Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles.

And the connections between China and Germany, which had flourished throughout the long tenure of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have been steadily deteriorating, largely due to China’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.