U.S. President Barack Obama said on Sunday his talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a day earlier had been “extremely productive” and that the significance of a row between U.S. and Chinese officials at the airport upon his arrival shouldn't be overblown.
“It is true that, not for the first time, when we come here, there ends up being issues around security and press access,” Obama said.
“We don't leave our values and ideals behind when we take these trips,” he added, before somewhat downplaying the incident.
“I wouldn't overcrank the significance” of tensions at the airport, Obama told a news conference in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, where global leaders are convening for a G20 summit.
Obama's last scheduled trip to China before leaving office got off to an awkward start soon after Air Force One landed in Hangzhou when a Chinese security official blocked National Security Adviser Susan Rice on the tarmac and yelled at another U.S. official trying to help journalists get closer to Obama.
“The one thing I will say is we don't make apologies for pushing a little bit harder when it comes to press access, and that's been the case from my very first state visit here,” he added.
For more details, watch the full report on the video above.