Chinese officials are blaming the U.S. for Saturday’s rough arrival for President Obama and U.S. officials at a global summit.
As Obama disembarked from his plane for the Group of 20 Summit in Hangzhou,, the red-carpeted staircase used by other world leaders was missing, forcing the president to use an alternate exit instead. And as National Security Adviser Susan Rice walked along the tarmac, she was hassled by Chinese security officials.
The incident led to a chaotic scene, where heated words between officials from both countries, which a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman blamed on the Americans.
“I think if only the American group had respected the working arrangements first made with China, then this wouldn’t have occurred,” Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday.
“You saw that all the other country leaders all used the stairs that China provided. So why was it only the United States that didn’t? These were the stairs the United States requested,” he said.
On Sunday, Obama downplayed the confrontation over his exit from Air Force One, amid speculation that China was intentionally snubbing him.
Chinese officials also had yelled at U.S. officials trying to help journalists get closer to Obama. Hua defended them, saying the U.S. media was at fault for not respecting China’s rules on where to stand and saying other countries’ reporters had acted properly.
