Antony Blinken appeared to react with a visible flinch and a disapproving shake of the head as Joe Biden described Xi Jinping as a “dictator”.

The US president made the off-the-cuff remark on Wednesday soon after a rare summit with the Chinese president on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meet in San Fransisco.

“Look, he is. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a country that is a communist country that’s based on a form of government totally different than ours,” Mr Biden said responding to a question from reporters.

China’s foreign ministry described the comments as “wrong and irresponsible”.

Watch more on Independent TV: https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/antony-blinken-react-joe-biden-dictator-xi-jinping-b2448962.html

Click here to subscribe to The Independent: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent

About The Independent:
Making Change Happen. The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded.

Connect with The Independent:
Check out our full video catalog: https://www.youtube.com/c/theindependent/videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://www.theindy.com
Click here to get the best of The Independent daily: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters
Like The Independent on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/TheIndependentOnline
Follow The Independent on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Independent
Follow The Independent on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.independent
Download the iOS & Android app: https://www.independent.co.uk/subscribe/app

Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust - https://www.independent.co.uk/donations

Subscribe to Independent Premium for exclusive content & live events: https://bit.ly/2MiOONB