Wary Obama-Xi talks shadowed by diplomats’ angry spat over press rights

Wary Obama-Xi talks shadowed by diplomats’ angry spat over press rights

Posted by John P. Bradford // September 20, 2016

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White House releases statement after meeting on G20 sidelines, where US and China agree to ratify Paris climate deal

Barack Obama held candid talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping on the knottiest disputes between the nations, the White House said on Saturday, as the presidents final trip to Asia began with a difficult altercation between diplomats at the airport.

The talks ranged across the most sensitive issues between the worlds two largest economies: Chinas aggressive claims in the South China Sea, hacking and cybersecurity, and human rights and religious freedom, among others.

Obama urged Xi to abide by the ruling of an international court against Chinas claims in the sea a ruling that Beijing promptly rejected in July. The Hague ruled in favor of claims by the Philippines over the territory, where China has been expanding its military and building islands.

They also spoke about cybersecurity, and Obama similarly asked Xi to fulfill his obligations in a bilateral deal to protect against hacking between the nations. The discussion followed recent hacks pertaining to the US presidential election, blamed on Russia, and a national security hack last year, allegedly conducted by Chinese operatives.

According to the White House, Xi and Obama agreed to implement a 2015 deal on cybersecurity and not conducting or knowingly supporting cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property for commercial gain an issue that has reached the campaign trail in the US. They similarly discussed drug trafficking, and the White House praised new Chinese efforts against the countrys growing market of synthetic drugs.

After the meeting, Obama described the talks in wary but respectful terms a reflection of US-Chinese relations during his two terms with many disagreements hanging between them.

What I think we have been able to achieve is a practical and constructive effort where our interests intersect, he said. We will have candid conversations about some of those differences, issues like human rights, or cyber or maritime. But our teams have been engaged they have worked very well and diligently together.

The presidents spoke for over three hours and found accord on at least one issue: the 2015 global Paris climate deal, to which Obama and Xi formally committed the US and China on Saturday.

Yes, diplomacy can be difficult and progress on the global stage can be slow, Obama said, before insisting that progress was possible. Some day we may see this as the moment when we decided to save our planet.

The presidents also spoke about human rights and basic freedoms, and despite Obamas praise for American and Chinese diplomats, disagreements over one such freedom boiled over before talks even began.

Members of the Chinese delegation objected angrily to the presence of American reporters China has broadly censored the press for years and as soon as the reporters who travel with Obama disembarked from Air Force One, one Chinese official began shouting demands to White House staff that American press be removed from the scene.

A White House official defended the press right to be there, and the Chinese official yelled back, This is our country, according to the travelling press.

The man then cast his ire at two of Obamas senior advisers, Ben Rhodes and Susan Rice, who only vaguely explained the spat to reporters: They did things that werent anticipated. Arguments continued through security into the Chinese state house, and one Chinese official helping the US delegation grew so angry that he began to shout at security and some of his colleagues.

You dont push people. No one gave you the right to touch or push anyone around, he yelled, according to the travelling press, who said that other American and Chinese officials soon intervened.

Stop, please, a foreign ministry official pleaded in Chinese. There are reporters here.

The dispute carried on even over how many reporters could watch the presidents go for a garden walk together. A Chinese official tried to limit press coverage, saying: That is our arrangement. This prompted a White House officials retort: Your arrangement keeps changing.

Most of the reporters were kept in a lobby, but two White House press members were eventually allowed to watch the leaders walk through a garden. I dont think the weather will be as good tomorrow as it is today, Xi said there, before changing the topic to tea.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/03/barack-obama-xi-jinping-talks-hacking-south-china-sea