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posted by cmn32480 on Tuesday September 06 2016, @06:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the can't-we-all-just-get-along dept.

Obama Cancels Meeting with Philippine President Duterte

President Obama has cancelled a planned meeting with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte after Duterte described Obama as a "son of a bitch" in comments made to reporters. Obama will instead meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, presumably to discuss North Korea's latest missile tests. Here is our previous article about Duterte.

G20 Summit in China: U.S.-China Tensions, North Korea, and Low-Cost Steel

The Group of 20 summit is now underway in Hangzhou, China. Before the summit even began, tensions between the U.S. and China were reflected by shouting matches between Chinese and American officials on the tarmac and at the West Lake State House where President Obama and President Xi Jinping met. Security guards also attempted to prevent foreign media from covering Obama's departure from Air Force One, and in a departure from protocol, no rolling staircase was provided for the President. When questioned about the incidents the next day, President Obama said that Americans "don't leave our values and ideals behind when we take these trips" but dismissed the incidents:

[Continues...]

The incidents reflect only a fraction of the American projection of security and force when the president travels. Acknowledging that point, President Obama said, "We've got a lot of planes, a lot of helicopters, a lot of cars, a lot of guys. You know, if you're a host country, sometimes it may feel a little bit much." That impression isn't limited to China, Obama said. He said friction has also developed when the U.S. leader visits close allies. Speaking alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Obama continued, "You notice some chortling among the Brits. They probably find it a little overwhelming as well." With China, Obama said, tensions can arise over issues such as human rights — but, he added, "that's part of our job, that's part of what we do. And so I wouldn't over-crank the significance of it."

To mark the summit, North Korea has reminded everyone it exists by firing some ballistic missiles into the sea. It marks the second time that North Korean missiles have entered Japan's "air defense identification zone" (the first encounter was the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from two weeks ago):

According to one analyst, the launches were timed for maximum effect. "This is Pyongyang's way of reminding everyone of their existence at a moment when all the parties are together, in a typically defiant, North Korean way," John Delury, assistant professor at Yonsei University in South Korea, told CNN. The launches also came hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping told his South Korean counterpart at the G20 that Beijing opposes the deployment of the United States' THAAD missile defense system to South Korea.

China has agreed to reduce its exports of cheap steel (considered market dumping), but did not set any binding limits:

Beijing made trade a theme of the gathering in this lakeside city southwest of Shanghai but faces complaints that a flood of low-cost Chinese steel into global markets threatens U.S. and European jobs, propelling the rise of political movements that promise to curb trade.

The joint statement [of the G20] calls for formation of a steel forum under the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to study excess production capacity. In a concession to Beijing, the statement doesn't mention China by name and says excess steel capacity is a global issue, though U.S. and European officials say the vast Chinese state-owned industry, which accounts for half of worldwide output, is the root of the problem. Washington has hiked import duties by 500 percent on Chinese steel to offset what it says are improper subsidies.

The AP reports that President Obama and Russian President Putin negotiated on the sidelines over a humanitarian ceasefire for Syria, to no avail. Other issues brought up in the meeting include cybersecurity and Ukraine.

Previously: U.S. Quintuples Taxes on Chinese Cold-Rolled Flat Steel


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 06 2016, @10:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 06 2016, @10:31PM (#398325)

    > Yes it makes about as much sense as the leader of Israel snubbing the President of the United States. That is, it makes no sense.

    Bibi snubs the potus to play to his hard right nationalist base. Duterte insults the potus to play to his hard right nationalist base.
    Politics is tension among multiple competing interests. It is never black and white. Anyone who thinks it is black and white is either absurdly ignorant or absurdly stupid.