Biden calls Chinese president Xi a ‘dictator’ a day after Blinken visit aimed at easing tensions

US president’s comments come just as two countries seek to dial down intense rivalry

US president Joe Biden has called Chinese president Xi Jinping a dictator and said Xi was very embarrassed when a Chinese balloon was blown off course over the US earlier this year.

Biden made the remarks one day after secretary of state Antony Blinken met Xi on a trip to China that was aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.