WATCH: Biden Staff Stepped In After Chinese Government Aide Grabbed and Shoved Reporter Shouting Human Rights Question
According to a pool report, Biden staffers interceded on behalf of a reporter shoved by a Chinese staffer unhappy with shouted questions over human rights issues in China.
President Joe Biden and Chinese Chairman Xi Jengpeng offered opening statements in a joint press conference in advance of bilateral meetings held in Bali, Indonesia, this week. AFP White House Reporter Sebastian Smith filed the travel report that included the following details:
Right at the end as we were being ushered out, the pool TV producer called out to President Biden, asking whether he would raise human rights during the talks. Instantly, a man from the Chinese side (he was wearing a white Covid mask with a Chinese flag on it) yanked the producer backwards by the backpack. She lost balance without falling and was pushed toward the door. Two White House staff members intervened saying the producer should be left alone.
Video of the scuffle has not yet emerged, but just as Xi finishes giving his statement, you can see the assembled leaders and dignitaries get distracted by events that are happening off camera, provided by the White House pool.
You can hear the shouted question, “Are you going to raise human rights issues” at about 11 seconds in the clip embedded above.
Additionally, Bloomberg posted a video of the initial greeting between the two world leaders and Biden’s comments before in which he told Xi it was “critical” that “they find ways to work together on urgent and global issues.”
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