Protesters took to the streets in Washington D.C. Wednesday against Chinese President Xi Jinping's government as officials prepared to begin a new round of trade talks with the U.S.
Several protesters rushed the Beijing delegation's motorcade and clashed with security as members left their hotel en route for a meeting with U.S. officials. The protesters appeared to be distributing documents. One woman was knocked down but no one appeared to be injured.
VOA spoke with one protester, Ma Yongtian, who was at the sight of the scuffle. She says she was protesting Beijing's relocation of citizens.
She said, "You, the [Chinese] regime, you are not only robbing my property but also persecuting my family, you are not giving us any little room for survival. [Chinese President] Xi Jinping says the country is ruled by law, but how do you govern the country according to the law [by doing such thing]?
The delegation, led by China's Vice Premier Liu He, arrived shortly after the incident at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, where cabinet ministers will spend two days trying to hash out both countries' positions in a trade war that is in its seventh month.
U.S. Secret Service officers told VOA that they arrested one individual "for crossing a police line and assault on a police officer" after the protesters charged the delegation passing by in vehicles.
Among the priorities of the talks are the protection of U.S. intellectual property, the forced transfer of U.S. technology through joint ventures, and enforcement mechanisms to verify that China follows through on any promised changes.
