The absence of a red-carpet welcome for US President Barack Obama upon his arrival in Hangzhou has sparked speculation that China may have given him a diplomatic snub to express its displeasure over recent US moves.

Arriving last Saturday afternoon to attend the Group of 20 leaders’ summit that opened yesterday, Mr Obama disembarked from the Air Force One plane through a rarely used metal stairway, instead of the rolling red-carpet staircase provided for other foreign leaders including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Mr Obama later stepped onto a red carpet, but his treatment and arguments between US and Chinese officials over security protocol at the airport – and throughout the day over media access – raised questions over whether his treatment was a calculated snub or just a case of misunderstanding.

… Singapore-based analyst Li Mingjiang said the red-carpet saga and quarrels between Chinese and American officials are “petty and insignificant issues” that would not have any impact on Sino-US ties.

“These small things could happen on any leader’s visit to a foreign country,” he told The Straits Times.