China has lashed out at Germany after its foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, called Xi Jinping a dictator in an interview with Fox News, in a context in which Germany and the USA expressed a unanimous negative perception of China’s leadership.
More specifically, when asked about Russia’s war on Ukraine, she said: „If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president?”
The Chinese government on Sunday summoned Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flor, to protest Baerbock’s comments, a German foreign ministry spokesperson told CNN Monday.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the remarks were „extremely absurd, seriously infringing on China’s political dignity”. China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing was „strongly dissatisfied” with Baerbock’s comments and „firmly opposes” them, reports CNN.
