President Barack Obama’s trip to China for the G20 summit Saturday opened with an unusual tarmac altercation involving Chinese and U.S. officials, including national security adviser Susan Rice.
After Air Force One landed in Hangzhou, a Chinese official began shouting at White House staff after the traveling American press contingent was brought onto the tarmac, according to pool reports.
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The Chinese official also attempted to block Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes after they lifted a blue rope holding back press and walked to the other side of it, closer to Obama.
The press pool was brought under a wing of Air Force One where the pool was supposed to stay behind a blue rope. However, a member of the Chinese delegation began shouting at White House staff, demanding the pool leave the arrival scene.
The Chinese can be the most gracious of hosts, when it suits their purposes. Deliberate slights such as forcing President Obama to disembark Air Force One via its built in stairs, and the petty squabbling are not in any way accidental. They are deliberate slights to cause the US to lose face.
On that note, I highly encourage you to read this piece from yesterday by Jerry Hendrix.
And if that doesn’t take up enough of your weekend reading time, here’s an analysis of war between China and the US from Rand.
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