US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seen sighing in reaction to US President Joe Biden's characterization of Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "dictator", according to a viral video.
Biden made the reference at a press conference organised after he met Xi at a summit-level meeting in Woodside, California, on the outskirts of San Fransciso.
Blinken's visit to Beijing in June is seen as critical in paving the way for the Summit, the first face-to-face meeting between Xi and Biden since their encounter at the G20 Summit in Bali last November.
Xi didn't attend the most recent G20 Summit in New Delhi in September, which was attended by Biden.
The Summit between the leaders of the two biggest economies lasted over four hours. However, gaffe-prone Biden's diplomatic clumsiness cast a negative shadow on the meeting as Beijing reacted angrily to the US President's insulting statement.
China Slams US Over Biden's Statement
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning described Biden's statement as "extremely wrong and irresponsible political manipulation", Reuters reported.
Mao went on to skewer "people with ulterior motives who attempt to incite and damage" the China-US relationship, without naming Biden.
This isn't the first time that Biden has referred to the Chinese President as a "dictator".
In June, the Chinese foreign ministry had slammed Biden for violating "China's political dignity" and not adhering to "diplomatic protocol" in the wake of Biden's undiplomatically-worded statement.