New Zealand PM disagrees with Joe Biden over Xi Jinping ‘dictator’ remark

Chris Hipkins, who is about to meet the Chinese president on a trip to Beijing for the first time, said China's system of government is a matter for them'

New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins has disagreed with US President Joe Biden's remark that Xi Jinping is a dictator", as he prepares to meet the Chinese leader on an official trade trip to China.

No, and the form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people," Hipkins told reporters when asked about Biden's description. Asked whether the Chinese people had a say in the form their government took, he said: if they wanted to change their system of government, then that would be a matter for them."