How Chicago Obama Tackled Chinese Snub

Obama refused to cool his heels
Jonathan Leake
The Australian 21 December 2009

FOR Barack Obama it would have been a humiliation too far. First he had been invited to a meeting with Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier, only to be confronted with a relatively junior official. Then, once the President's team had located Wen, Obama was told to wait outside while the Chinese leader tried to conclude a private deal with Brazil, India and South Africa."

To the US delegation this looked like a deliberate snub - and Obama was having none of it. As his security staff shouldered aside the Chinese minders, he strode into the meeting room at the cavernous Bella Centre on the outskirts of Copenhagen.

'Mr Premier, are you ready to see me? Are you ready?' Obama said.

US officials later insisted the President did not barge in uninvited on the surprise meeting, but was merely showing up on time for his talks with Wen."

'We weren't crashing a meeting; we were going for our bilateral meeting . . . we found the other people there,' he deadpanned."

"However, the scuffles, along with a second battle as Chinese officials then let their own camera crews into the room while trying to block their British and American rivals, told their own story.

The Sunday Times"

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