Quarrels with Chinese officials broke out on the tarmac and at other venues over access by USA officials and reporters.
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Though negotiators have been hopeful a deal could come together while world leaders are gathered in Hangzhou for the G20, that optimism has been tempered by the failure of previous ceasefire deals to hold.
Some Republican critics of the accord say it is a treaty that should be submitted to the Senate for ratification, but the Obama administration says that the president has the authority to commit to the Paris agreement just as President George H.W. Bush did when he signed the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.
China has accused Australia of bowing to protectionist sentiment in blocking the bid for Ausgrid, as well as an earlier one by a China-led consortium to buy cattle company Kidman & Co.
In a circular conference hall in Hangzhou – the eastern city left deserted by a vast security operation – Xi told leaders the G20 “should work with real action, with no empty talk”.
White House aides, protocol officers and Secret Service agents became embroiled in a row with Chinese officials as to how many Americans should be allowed into the building before Mr Obama’s arrival.
In a scene at the airport that was captured on video, a White House press aide told a Chinese official who wanted the media to leave that US journalists would stay on the tarmac to see the USA president – and that they were standing under the wing of a USA plane.
Xi called for innovation to spur growth and reforms to global financial and economic management.
Speaking alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Obama continued, “You notice some chortling among the Brits”.
During a meeting with Mr Xi and his officials over the weekend, Mr Obama emphasised how important it was for China to “abide by its obligations” to an global maritime treaty in the disputed waterway, through which US$5 trillion (S$6.8 trillion) in trade travels each year.
“Free trade must be fair trade”, Juncker said at a news conference with Donald Tusk, president of the European Council. “That they have the ability to answer questions”, he said.
He urged Beijing to uphold its legal obligations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, and stressed USA commitments to its regional allies.
The reason could be Washington’s criticism at Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea.
In a joint communique due to be released after the meeting, China agreed to the creation of a global forum to study excess production capacity in the steel industry, according to Japan’s Nikkei and Yomiuri newspapers.
He said the two sides had worked through many technical issues but said the USA didn’t want to enter into an illegitimate agreement.
“The reception that President Obama and his staff got when they arrived here (on September 3) was bruising, even by Chinese standards”, the New York Times reported.
China has gone to great lengths to try to make the Sept 4-5 G20 summit a success, hoping to cement its standing as a global power, but a range of thorny diplomatic topics could overshadow the agenda.
His visit began chaotically at the Hangzhou airport, where his staff argued with Chinese security over media access.
“I wouldn’t over-crank the significance of it, because, as I said, this is not the first time that these things happened”, Obama said of the tensions.
The meeting saw discussions over bilateral relations and ways to promote cooperation in all fields.
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Security was extremely tight in Hangzhou, with parts of the city of 9 million people turned into a virtual ghost town as China seeks to ensure that the G20 summit stays incident-free.
