WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th June, 2023) The United States is not the only country in the world that has "tough things" to say about China and this should come as no surprise, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday.
"It should come as no surprise that sometimes we have tough things to say (about China). We certainly are not the only country that has tough things to say," Patel said during a press briefing to clarify the United States' position on China after President Joe Biden likened President Xi Jinping to a dictator.
Patel reiterated that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a good trip to China and made "some progress" and the United States has very expectation that the two countries will continue building on the progress.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed Biden's comment by saying that the US president speaks for all Americans.
Last week, Biden said that Xi did not have all the information about the incident involving an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon that the United States shot down, adding that it was a "great embarrassment for dictators."
The Chinese foreign ministry strongly protested Biden's remarks and the Chinese Embassy in Washington warned the United States would bear all the consequences if it did not undo the comments.
