Joe Biden comment calling Chinese leader Xi Jinping a 'dictator' branded 'absurd' as US-China tensions flare

The new clash of words comes just over a day since US secretary of state Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in a relationship that has hit a historical low.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Mr Biden's comments at a fundraiser in California "go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China's political dignity".

"It is a blatant political provocation – China expresses strong dissatisfaction and opposition," Ms Mao said at a daily briefing.

She added: "The US remarks are extremely absurd and irresponsible.”

Mr Blinken's visit, during which he met with Mr Xi, was aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers, but appeared not to have achieved any solid results.

At the fundraiser on Tuesday night, Mr Biden said Mr Xi was embarrassed over the recent tensions surrounding a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been shot down by the Air Force.

"That's a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn't know what happened," Mr Biden said.

Ms Mao reiterated China's contention the balloon was intended for meteorological research and had been blown off-course accidentally.

"The US should have handled it in a calm and professional manner," she said. "However, the US distorted facts and used forces to hype up the incident, fully revealing its nature of bullying and hegemony."

In his comments at the fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign, Mr Biden said he believed the balloon incident had caught Mr Xi unaware.

"That's what's a great embarrassment for dictators, when they didn't know what happened – that wasn't supposed to be going where it was," Mr Biden said.

"It was blown off course up through Alaska and then down through the United States. And he didn't know about it. When it got shot down, he was very embarrassed. He denied it was even there."

Despite their sharp political divide, the countries continue to have deep economic and cultural links. Bilateral trade passed $690 billion (£540bn) last year, and an estimated 300,000 Chinese are believed to be studying in the US, shoring up American institutions that have come under financial pressure.

Mr Blinken's visit had been originally scheduled for February, but was put on hold after the balloon incident.

While it marked a return to high-level contacts between the sides, China continues to refuse talks between their militaries.

In recent days, the US said Chinese warplanes and naval ships have manoeuvred in threatening ways to their American counterparts in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, despite agreements between them on protocols for avoiding such incidents.

During Mr Blinken's visit, China reiterated its strong objections to US support for the self-governing island democracy of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

The US has also sought to block Beijing's access to cutting-edge computer chip manufacturing technology that could be used for military purposes, and accused China of stealing American intellectual property.