SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, forward of his official journey to China at finish of this month, stated on Thursday he didn’t agree with U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment that Chinese language chief Xi Jinping was a dictator.
“No, and the type of authorities that China has is a matter for the Chinese language folks,” Hipkins advised reporters.
Requested by a reporter whether or not the Chinese language folks had a say within the type of authorities, Hipkins stated: “in the event that they needed to vary their system of presidency, then that may be a matter for them.”
Hipkins is scheduled to go to China from June 25 to 30, main a commerce delegation that features a few of New Zealand’s largest corporations. He’ll meet Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and the chairman of the standing committee of the Nationwide Individuals’s Congress, Zhao Leji.
China hit again on Wednesday after Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, saying the remarks have been absurd and a provocation, an surprising flare-up following makes an attempt by either side to scale back friction.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Modifying by Gerry Doyle)