U.S. President Joe Biden has maintained his stance that Chinese President Xi Jinping is effectively a dictator following a carefully planned summit between the two leaders. In a solo news conference after the talks, Biden affirmed his view, stating that Xi runs a communist country with a governance structure fundamentally different from the United States. China’s Foreign Ministry expressed strong opposition to Biden’s remarks, deeming them “extremely wrong” and accusing some individuals with “ulterior motives” of attempting to damage U.S.-China relations. Despite the diplomatic tension, the summit aimed at improving strained relations between the two nations proceeded as planned.