During a fundraising gathering in California, U.S. President Joe Biden referred to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as an autocrat. This statement followed a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Xi in Beijing, designed to alleviate mounting pressures between the two global powers.

President Biden also suggested that Xi Jinping felt humiliated when the U.S. shot down what is alleged to be a Chinese surveillance balloon.

China has not yet issued any statement regarding Biden's remarks.

"Xi Jinping was visibly perturbed when we intercepted and destroyed the balloon loaded with two box cars of surveillance apparatus - primarily because he was oblivious to its presence," Biden expressed on Tuesday.

He added, "Such unexpected incidents can indeed be humiliating for autocrats, when they are unaware of what is transpiring."

The balloon in question, claimed by China to be used for meteorological observations, drifted over mainland America and was intercepted and destroyed by U.S. military aircraft in February. Subsequently, Washington declared it to be part of an extensive Chinese intelligence gathering operation.

Blinken's Beijing trip, marking the first high-ranking U.S. diplomatic visit in nearly half a decade, reopened high-level dialogue between the two nations. However, this visit was delayed due to the balloon incident.

During the talks, President Xi mentioned some advancements were made, and Secretary Blinken suggested that both nations were willing to pursue further discussions.

Still, considerable disparities persist between the U.S. and China. Diplomatic ties have significantly deteriorated due to the trade disputes initiated during Trump's tenure, Beijing's aggressive territorial claims over Taiwan, and the destruction of the alleged surveillance balloon.