‘My Apologies’: Michael Bloomberg Apologizes to China

Michael Bloomberg, who leads the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board, apologized to attendees of his annual economic forum after former British prime minister Boris Johnson called the Chinese government a "coercive autocracy."

Bloomberg on Thursday said that Johnson's remarks were "his thoughts and his thoughts alone" and were not cleared with him personally. "Some may have been insulted or offended last night by parts of the speaker's remarks referencing certain countries and their duly elected leaders," the former New York City mayor told the crowd at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore. "To those of you who were upset and concerned by what the speaker said, you have my apologies." Johnson had referred to China and Russia as "two former communist tyrannies in which power has once again been concentrated in the hands of a single ruler" in a blistering speech to an audience that included China's vice president and Chinese business leaders.

Bloomberg has long defended the Chinese government, but his apology takes on new significance given his position as an adviser to President Joe Biden's Defense Department. As chairman of the Defense Innovation Board, Bloomberg advises the secretary of defense and other Pentagon leaders on "emerging technologies and innovative approaches that [the Defense Department] should adopt to ensure U.S. technological and military dominance."