Staff Reports
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) did not mince words in criticizing President Joe Biden's recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Cotton expressed dissatisfaction with Biden's demeanor and attitude towards Xi, whom he labeled a "communist dictator." According to Cotton, while engaging with communist adversaries is one thing, describing it as an honor and pleasure to welcome someone like Xi Jinping to America goes too far—a sentiment, Cotton argued, that Ronald Reagan would not have expressed when hosting Mikhail Gorbachev at the White House.
Cotton's concerns extend beyond the meeting itself. He sounded the alarm about the popular social media platform TikTok, highlighting potential security risks. Advocating for a national ban on the platform, Cotton pointed to TikTok videos that praised Osama bin Laden's "Letter to America" as evidence. Cotton's position is clear: if actions were deemed unacceptable for communist Russia during the Cold War, they should not be tolerated from communist China today.
@SenTomCotton responds to Biden's foreign policy failures this week during his meeting with Xi
"It's one thing to meet with our communist adversaries. It's another for Biden to say that it was an honor & pleasure to welcome a communist dictator like Xi Jinping to America" pic.twitter.com/u4H4Luuufg
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) November 19, 2023
Despite Cotton's critique, Biden and Xi found common ground on certain issues. They agreed to reestablish military-to-military communications, which had been severed by Beijing over a year ago in protest of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Additionally, the leaders reached a deal to curb the spread of deadly fentanyl. However, Biden's acknowledgment that Xi is a dictator, given that he leads a communist country, drew backlash from a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.
Cotton's firm stance against cozying up to communist China is evident, and he does not shy away from expressing his concerns. His focus on national security and the principles that America upholds is crucial when evaluating the relationship with a country operating under a different political system.
