Alwaght- Chinese authorities did not provide US President, Barak Obama, with a rolling staircase and red carpet on his arrival to the country.
US president entered China to participate in G20 session on Sunday where he was not well received as compared to other leaders who ascended their planes on red carpeted rolling stair cases.
Obama was forced to disembark from a little door at the end of Air Force One which is usually used in high security visits like Afghanistan.
The snub did not stop here and his delegation of US reporters were also moved back behind a blue robe tightened by the Chinese security forces. The move angered the US National Security Adviser, Susan Rice who was reported furious over the issue.
There were further surprises. At the West Lake State House, where Mr. Obama met Chinese President Xi Jinping, White House aides, protocol officers and Secret Service agents got into a series of shouting matches over how many Americans should be allowed into the building before Mr. Obama’s arrival. There were fears the confrontation would become physical.
Obama down played the issue on his press conference, however many believe it is a reminder of an underlying problem between the two countries.
The British newspaper, Guardian called it a “calculated diplomatic snub” and reported Jorge Guajardo, Mexico’s former ambassador to China, as saying “It’s a way of saying: ‘You know, you’re not that special to us.’ It’s part of the new Chinese arrogance. It’s part of stirring up Chinese nationalism. It’s part of saying: ‘China stands up to the superpower.’”
Bill Bishop, an expert on China also believes the move was “to make the Americans look diminished and weak”.
