Scuffle over nuke codes ‘beyond the norm’

UNITED STATES/CHINA: A scuffle between Chinese government guards and the White House chief of staff over the briefcase containing America’s nuclear launch codes may have been initiated deliberately to unnerve US President Donald Trump’s entourage, diplomats say.

The row is said to have begun when the military aide carrying the so-called nuclear football, which is supposed to be close to the president at all times, was stopped by Chinese security during a tour of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during Trump’s visit to China last November.

John Kelly, a retired US Marine general and the chief of staff, went to the aide’s assistance. He then had to shove away the hand of a Chinese security official who went to grab him, according to the Axios website. A US Secret Service agent then tackled the Chinese security official to the ground.

The incident is said to have lasted seconds, and US officials were asked to stay quiet about it.

It was unclear if a breakdown of communications was to blame. However, Kelly Magsamen, a former US Defence Department official, said on Twitter: ‘‘The Chinese harass every high-level [US government] delegation. I’ve experienced it on two trips. It can get sporty. But this is beyond the norm.’’

Jorge Guajardo, Mexico’s ambassador to China from 2007-13, tweeted: ‘‘Most foreign heads of state visiting China have a similar scuffle with a Chinese security official during their visit. Stories abound.’’