G20 leaders meet in China
The lows and highs of the world’s most important bilateral relationship
Sep 4th 2016 | HANGZHOU | China

G20の指導者たちが中国で会う。
世界の最も重要な二国間の関係の変動

REPORTING on big international summits is often an exercise in drudgery. Debates about the agenda take place behind closed doors, weeks in advance of the actual meetings. Final agreements are phrased in general terms, smoothed out to be acceptable to all those at the table. Journalists are herded between photo-ops; they see beaming smiles and firm handshakes rather than the disagreements that preceded them. Or, at least, that is the way things are supposed to be. 

exercise：活動
drudgery：退屈な骨折り仕事
herded：集まる
photo-ops：写真撮影
beaming：微笑みで表す
preceded ：先立って行う



A summit of G20 leaders, which began on September 4th in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, deviated from this stereotype with an oddly tense and protocol-defying start. After participants landed at Hangzhou’s airport, red-carpeted stairways were rolled up to their aeroplanes. But when Barack Obama’s Air Force One touched down, there were no ceremonial steps for him. The American president instead disembarked on a smaller set of metal stairs via the plane’s underbelly. 

deviated：逸脱する
stereotype：固定観念・定型
oddly：奇妙な　oddly tense　妙に緊張した
defying：従わない
disembarked：降りる
underbelly：下部

At around the same time, a dispute broke out on the tarmac when a Chinese official prevented American reporters from lining up to record Mr Obama’s exit, as members of the White House press corps commonly do on such occasions. “This is our country. This is our airport,” the official hollered. He then attempted to stop Susan Rice, Mr Obama’s national security adviser, from cutting across the cordon to join the president’s motorcade. Shouting and shoving continued at the diplomatic compound where the meetings were to take place, as Chinese security officers blocked several White House staff members from entering. 

At around：およそ
tarmac：駐機場
hollered：大声を上げる
cordon：非常線
shoving：押して進む

Other delegations have run into umpteen problems trying to get between their hotels, the meeting venues and the media centre. But the missing staircase for Mr Obama’s arrival stood out. China had gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure the summit ran smoothly. Security in the city, normally known for a more relaxed atmosphere, is overwhelming. The government has shut down dirty factories hundreds of kilometres away in order to clear the air and given residents a weeklong holiday to encourage them to leave the city and leave the streets clear. How, then, could it have overlooked such a basic element of its arrangements? 

umpteen：ものすごく多い
stood out：際立っている
ensure：確実にする
overwhelming：膨大な
overlooked：見落とす

The innocent explanation is that there was a diplomatic misunderstanding at the airport, albeit a rather astonishing one. The New York Times reports that the Americans had flown in with their own stairs for the occasion, only for the Chinese to block their use at the last minute. The Chinese then offered their own, which the Americans refused because the driver could not speak English. The darker interpretation is that China’s sudden rejection of the American-provided stairs was calculated to insult Mr Obama on his last trip to Asia as the American president. That would have been an odd tactic: the chaos on the arrival of Air Force One looked more embarrassing for China than America. Mr Obama, for his part, downplayed the significance. “We’ve got a lot of planes, a lot of helicopters, a lot of cars and a lot of guys,” he said. “If you are a host country, sometimes it may feel a bit much.” 

flown：飛行機で到着する
odd：常軌を逸した
downplayed：控えめに言う
significance　：影響の大きさ
feel a bit much：あんまりひどいと感じる

土曜日。今日はこれまで。杭州のG20でのオバマ出迎えの待遇の話だ。どう考えてもこれだけの警備と体制をとりながら、オバマの到着に対しての対応はまずいということを言っている。オバマ自体は批判していないが、赤い絨毯といい、側近を退けたことと言い、意図的としか考えられない。中国人らしくないつまらない嫌がらせだ。

昨日は海野塾があって、午前は高橋さんの孫子の講義を私が講評した。午後はEdのFinanceの授業の講義を受けた。一昨日は仕事が遅かったので、さすがに5時を回ったらダウン。木元がいないので、懇親会話だった。今日は朝から研修資料のレビューがある。３連休だが、全く関係ない。今日から北朝鮮の資料の準備を始める。ではまた明日。