Chaotic brawl erupts as Donald Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping
Topics: Donald Trump, World News, Politics, News
Madison Burgess
Featured Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, World News, Politics, News
Donald Trump’s meeting with the President of China erupted into chaos when a ‘scuffle’ broke out among cameramen.
The US President, 79, landed in Beijing for a three-day-long state visit on Wednesday (13 May), for his highly-anticipated plans meet the leader of the country, Xi Jinping.
The political leaders met for about two hours behind closed doors at the Great Hall of the People after an elaborate welcome ceremony.
Trump departed Air Force One to booming cannons, a band playing The Star-Spangled Banner and China’s national anthem, with hundreds of schoolchildren jumping and waving flowers and American and Chinese flags.
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However, it’s been reported that today (14 May), things turned disorderly when Trump entered a large conference room to start the talks about Taiwan, trade, and the Middle East with Xi Jinping.
Thankfully, though, the falling out was not between the two world leaders.
As reported by The Mirror, there was a clash among members of the camera crew.
The publication reports that a camera was knocked to the ground and a ‘scuffle’ broke out, with someone saying "get the f*** out of here".
However, things seemed to settle, allowing the serious political talks to begin.
Xi Jinping warned the US President that their two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue is not handled properly.
According to a post on X by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, Xi told Trump that ‘the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations’.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability,” she wrote.
Adding: "Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
The comment followed a brief public exchange before the meeting began in which the US President told Xi: “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true.”
He gushed, “It’s an honour to be your friend,” before promising that the US-China relationship 'is going to be better than ever before'.
While in his opening remarks, the Chinese leader expressed hopes that the US and China could avoid conflict and asked 'whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers'.
After their meeting, Xi took Trump on a tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Temple of Heaven, then hosted a lavish state banquet for him.
The Chinese leader used his evening toast to note that he and Trump had kept US-China relations 'generally stable' in a turbulent world.
He said: “Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand. We can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.”
Meanwhile, Trump gushed that his visit had been 'a great honour' punctuated by a 'fantastic' day, adding that matters 'all good for the United States and China' were discussed.