US President Barack Obama says the significance of a row between US and Chinese officials at the airport upon his arrival for the G20 should not be overblown.
"I wouldn't overcrank the significance" of tensions at the airport, Mr Obama told a news conference in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, where global leaders are convening for a summit.
Mr 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.
He prevented her from walking to the motorcade as she crossed a media rope line, speaking angrily to her before a Secret Service agent stepped between the two.
The same official shouted at a White House press aide who was instructing foreign reporters on where to stand as they recorded Mr Obama disembarking from the plane.
"This is our country. This is our airport," the official said in English, pointing and speaking angrily with the aide.
The US aide insisted that the journalists be allowed to stand behind a rope line, and they were able to record the interaction and Mr Obama's arrival uninterrupted, typical practice for US press travelling with the president.
It was not the only awkward moment of the President's arrival.
Obama presses Xi on South China Sea
During the talks, which Mr Obama categorised as "extremely productive", he pressed his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, urging Beijing to uphold its legal obligations and stressing the United States' commitments to its regional allies.
Mr Xi said China would continue to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea, according to a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.
The two leaders and their delegations met for over four hours before Mr Obama and Mr Xi talked one-on-one as they took a night-time stroll.
In an unusually lengthy statement following the meeting, the White House said Mr Obama had "underscored the United States' unwavering commitment to the security of its treaty allies".
"The president reaffirmed that the United States will work with all countries in the region to uphold the principles of international law, unimpeded lawful commerce, and freedom of navigation and over-flight," the White House said.
China's Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, said the United States should drop its "double standards on the South China Sea" and play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.
Reuters