Chinese leader Xi: G20 must ‘blaze a new trail’ on trade

Beijing has also criticized Australia, a staunch US ally, for running surveillance flights over disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The bout of scaremongering comes as Mrs May arrived in China early on Sunday morning for the G20 Summit, where she is expected to negotiate trade deals for Britain following our Leave vote.

American reporters who travelled to the summit with President Obama from Hawaii said that Chinese security guards prevented them from watching the president disembark from the belly of the plane – something normally only done on high-security trips to places like Afghanistan – because there was no red carpet welcome.

The Washington Post reports that Chinese officials said there wasn’t enough space for all of them in the room where Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping would meet, while US officials pointed to “a spacious area sectioned off for the media and citing arrangements negotiated long in advance”.

In response, Mr Xi urged the United States to “play a constructive role” in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and pledged to uphold China’s sovereignty and security in the disputed waters.

The “Classy as always China” tweet linked through to a New York Times article on the protocol incident, it said.

China rejects criticism of its human rights record, arguing it has lifted millions out of poverty.

In further signs of Britain’s strong position on the world stage, Chinese officials “strongly suggested” that Britain consider Japanese investment in the United Kingdom and “respond in a responsible manner to minimise any harmful effects on these businesses”.

Before Obama exited Air Force One, there were altercations between a Chinese official and National Security Advisor Susan Rice, a White House press aide, and Secret Service.

But there were suggestions of a testy exchange between Xi and Obama Saturday over a ruling by a UN-backed tribunal which found there was no legal basis for Beijing’s claims to the waterway.

But Alan Wheatley, associate fellow for worldwide economics at Chatham House, said it might be too optimistic to expect the meeting to result in a plan like the one that emerged from the urgency of the 2009 summit.

“We think it’s important that the press have access to the work that we’re doing, that they have the ability to ask questions”, he said.

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King’s College, London, said Xi was making a “reasonable play” to keep the focus of G20 talks on likely areas of agreement, and not giving others the chance to expand on differences in front of a huge audience.

Obama, now in the last five months of his presidency, is using the visit to put a final stamp on his signature policy shift toward the Pacific, setting the tone for his White House successor, who will be elected in November and take office on January 20.

“Part of it is we also have a much bigger footprint than a lot of other countries”, he said.

The leaders met for more than four hours, first flanked by their top security and economic advisers, and later talking one-on-one as they took a night-time stroll around the picturesque West Lake, where Mr Xi is hosting the G20 summit.

Video footage of the walk showed Mr Xi asking Mr Obama about his daily exercise routine, and describing growth and change in the region as the leaders sat down for tea.

They also discussed thorny issues. -South Korea decision to deploy a missile defense system in South Korea to counter missile and nuclear threats from North Korea.

China’s President Xi Jinping has called for the G20 to develop a strategic vision for the world economy.