Joe Biden’s press conference in Vietnam was ended abruptly on Monday when jazz music played over him while he was still speaking.
The US President had been speaking to reporters at a briefing at in Hanoi when his press secretary suddenly announced no further questions would be taken.
Jazz music then began playing as Mr Biden continued to give a rambling answer to a question from a journalist about what he discussed with Li Qiang, the Chinese premier, at the G20 summit in India.
“We talked about stability, we talked about the Third World, excuse me, the Southern Hemisphere having access to change. It wasn’t confrontational at all,” he said as the music played.
President Joe Biden appeared to be confused during a press conference in Vietnam that ended abruptly. pic.twitter.com/JqBbGtC9oh
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 11, 2023
Earlier, Mr Biden was asked why he had not spoken Chinese president Xi Jinping for months.
He responded: “Nobody likes having celebrated international meetings if you don’t know what you want at the meeting, if you don’t have a gameplan.
“He may have a gameplan; he just hasn’t shared it with me. But I tell you what, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go to bed.”
Mr Biden travelled to Vietnam to sign a historic deal - the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – that will bring both countries closer together.
He arrived in the country on Sunday to a ceremony organised by the ruling Communist Party that included school children waving American flags and honour guards carrying bayoneted rifles.
Mr Biden noted the strides that had been taken toward improved ties.
“We can trace a 50-year arc of progress between our nations, from conflict to normalisation, to this new elevated status,” he said.
The partnership with Vietnam is part of the Biden administration's push “to demonstrate to our our Indo-Pacific partners and to the world, the United States is a Pacific nation and we're not going anywhere,” Mr Biden told reporters after the meeting in Hanoi.
Top Chinese officials, possibly including President Xi Jinping, are expected to visit Vietnam in the coming days or weeks, officials and diplomats told Reuters, as Hanoi seeks to maintain good relations with all super powers.
