China, North Korea and Iran are part of an "axis of autocrats" and the United States and its allies are the "thin blue line" protecting democracy, the outgoing US ambassador to Japan said on Friday in a parting shot at Beijing.

US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has taken a jab at China mere weeks before he steps down. In remarks to reporters, he referred to China as an "autocracy."

Rahm Emanuel has been a sharp critic of China’s economic and geopolitical strategies during his three years in Japan.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns spoke to NBC News’ Janis Mackey Frayer about China’s position in the world, and its precarious relationship with the U.S.