WELLINGTON: New Zealand's prime minister said Thursday that he did not agree with US President Joe Biden equating China's Xi Jinping with "dictators", ahead of a visit to Beijing next week.
Asked if he concurred with Biden's assessment of China's leader, Chris Hipkins said "no", adding that "the form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people".
Hipkins is due to meet Xi next week when he leads a trade delegation to China, the first visit by a New Zealand leader since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Xi has led China since 2013, maintaining an iron grip on power by purging rivals and banning even modest forms of dissent.
Biden made the remark at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday, referencing the US decision to shoot down a Chinese balloon that Washington said was used for spying.
The US president said Xi had not known about the balloon, adding that not knowing was a "great embarrassment for dictators".
Beijing's foreign ministry responded Wednesday, calling Biden's comments "ridiculous".
New Zealand has in the past been notably less critical of China's government than Western allies.
Almost a quarter of New Zealand's export earnings come from China, making it one of the Western nations most dependent on ties with Beijing.