Ben Carson backtracked Monday on claims his foreign policy “sources are better” than President Barack Obama‘s, telling reporters, “that was tongue in cheek.”

Carson said the suggestion that he has better sources than the president was intended as a joke, adding it “would be very alarming” if his campaign had access to superior foreign policy advisors.

At the last Republican presidential debate, Carson told the audience “the Chinese” are operating in Syria, a declaration met with criticism by some foreign policy experts. National Security Advisor Susan Rice rebutted Carson’s claim, telling reporters the U.S. has no evidence of Chinese involvement in Syria....

Though Carson clarified his comments were meant as a joke, the candidate took the opportunity to criticize the Obama administration’s Syrian refugee policy. Jabbing at Obama’s poorly-timed assertion that ISIS forces are “contained,” Carson said Monday, “The only thing that seems to be contained is this foolish policy inside our government.”