President Trump declined to take questions from reporters Thursday alongside his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, according to multiple reports, in a break with some of his predecessors.
Trump and Xi did not take questions during an event during Trump’s visit to the country, The Associated Press reported.
CNN reported that former President Obama did not take questions during his first visit to China, but former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton did.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Chinese wanted to avoid questions.
“It was at the Chinese insistence there were no questions today,” she said, according to a CNN reporter.
Former Obama press secretary Jay Carney said the move by Beijing is a test of “will and principle.”
“Letting them dictate press access is an embarrassing capitulation,” he tweeted.
{mosads}Trump often rails on the media, accusing networks and reporters of publishing “fake news.”
He is currently on an Asia-Pacific trip during which he will meet with regional leaders with a heavy emphasis on curbing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
–This report was updated at 9:00 a.m.