Obama is thankful it wasn’t a moonlight stroll with the Mooch.
Via Bloomberg:
After a dinner that wound late into Saturday night, U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping left their delegations behind and went for a moonlight walk around the shores of West Lake, the World Heritage Site in Hangzhou dotted by temples, pagodas and beautifully kept gardens.
Obama and Xi discussed their exercise routines, the history of the site, and stopped for a drink of tea. The seemingly informal but carefully orchestrated stroll was intended as a chance for the leaders to ruminate on the final months of a working partnership that has paid dividends for both.
But Saturday also demonstrated that their ability to collaborate to fight climate change — Xi and Obama stood side by side earlier in the day to announce their countries had ratified the Paris climate accord — hasn’t bridged persistent differences that have overshadowed Obama’s time in office.
The intended demonstration of unity was tarnished by a skirmish earlier Saturday on the tarmac at Hangzhou airport shortly after Air Force One arrived, when a Chinese official confronted Obama’s national security adviser Susan Rice and her deputy, Ben Rhodes. The Americans crossed a rope line set up to cordon off the media from the arrival ceremony, prompting shouting from the Chinese official. A member of the Secret Service detail traveling with the president eventually separated the official from Rice.
Later in the afternoon, reporters traveling to cover the climate announcement with Xi and Obama observed a Chinese security guard ripping credentials from an individual’s neck following a scuffle.
On Saturday night, Obama stressed “America’s unwavering support for upholding human rights” as well as the need for religious freedoms, according to a statement by the White House. The leaders had what the president called a “candid” discussion on the recent arbitration tribunal ruling in favor of a Philippines challenge to China’s territorial claims in a large part of the South China Sea, with Obama pressing Xi to abide by its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Other sore points aired during the conversation included U.S. concerns over hacking, and pressing Chinese leaders to transition to a market-determined exchange rate and advance financial reforms. The leaders discussed China’s role in addressing excess capacity in steel and aluminum production, the White House said.