Global Courant
SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Thursday ahead of his official trip to China late this month that he disagreed with US President Joe Biden’s comment that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was a dictator.
“No, and the form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people,” Hipkins told reporters.
When asked by a reporter if the Chinese people had a say in the form of government, Hipkins said, “If they want to change their system of government, that’s their business.”
Hipkins is scheduled to visit China June 25-30, where he will lead a trade delegation featuring some of New Zealand’s largest companies. He will meet with Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji.
China hit back on Wednesday after Biden called President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and said the remarks were absurd and a provocation, an unexpected flare after efforts by both sides to ease the friction.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Gerry Doyle)
