APEC Summit Was a ‘Big Win’ for China’s Xi in Terms of Propaganda: DeSantis

Last week’s meeting between the two leaders was ‘a bust from Biden’s perspective’ but ‘a win for Xi,’ the Florida governor said.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla., on Nov. 4, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that last week’s meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping was “a big win” for Mr. Xi “in terms of the propaganda.”

“You had American business leaders paying $40,000 to be able to sit with him at dinner. [Mr. Xi] got a rousing ovation from a lot of American CEOs,” Mr. DeSantis said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 19. The Biden–Xi meeting was “already being played in China as an example of China basically being America’s equal on the world stage.”