BEIJING — President Trump’smuch-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinpinghas been marred by multiple physical altercations just offstage.
Among the incidents that took place Thursday:
The chaos was all captured by a cameraman accompanying“Rush Hour” director Brett Ratneras he prepares to shoot a fourth installment of the beloved feature film franchise.
The dust-ups with the Chinese caused frustrations to boil over on the American side, with one member of the US delegation overheard calling it a “s—tshow.”
As part of an effort by Chinese officials to keep a tight hold oftheir American guestsand dictate coverage of aglobal news event, US reporters have been subject to strict controls — including limited access to bathrooms and the confiscation of water bottles.
No other hydration was provided to the American press despite bright sunshine and temperatures topping 80 degrees in the Chinese capital.
However, that proved a minor issue compared to three major flashpoints.
The first incident came when an aggressive Chinese press pack charged intoTrump’s morning bilateral meeting with Xi, knocking down and then stepping on a White House advance team member.
The aide was bruised and shaken, though not seriously injured, and the incident caused her colleagues to loudly protest the Chinese media’s behavior.
The next confrontation came in the afternoon at the Temple of Heaven, when Chinese officials refused to admit a Secret Service agent accompanying the presidential press pool into the secure area because the agent was carrying a firearm — standard practice for the protective agency.
Source: Drudge Report
