that was the cliff and he had to provide some context of the devil report to clifford kuhn and clifford welcome. that sort of fumbling doesn't happen very often when it comes to serious controversial issues. what do we make of that? well, it's, it's remarkable and it's, it's sam almost unprecedented. the press conference, the briefing from the foreign ministry is, is very much a formulaic affair where people go along and they, they ask their questions and statements are read out. they're not answers per se, their statements. and they're prepared in advance because they know the topics of the day. am this clearly? yeah, they know this question is coming because it's, it's news. it's obviously not on the main use in china. it's all on the, on the m, on the main media, but it is all over social media, so they know it's coming. and then so it's very difficult explain why the reaction is so slow and so considered and so are not considered. there doesn't seem to have been preparation or in some ways it's kind of almost emblematic of the government's response because for days these things have

or for more on this i'm joined by clifford kuhn and his, our resident china analyst clifford. what stood out to you about these talks? did we see these so called guard rails appearing? well, i think we thought we had guard rails, we had red lines in the run up. we had all these terms that were flying around and utopia candid talks. and i think the big takeaways the communication lines are back open. i think that's my key take away from the whole thing. i think the optics were very good. i think she jim ping was smiling. they shook hands, which we didn't even see last week when chance are all shots visited beijing. it was there was definitely a kind of a, a warmth there. so the optics were very positive. however, the fundamentals haven't changed. none of the things that are dividing the world to great super powers, economic super powers as well have actually changed. they're still divided on key issues such as taiwan, human rights and shinji, young tech, trans fair and semiconductors. and the other main issues dividing these, these huge economies. so still saying more the same

after that, i'm joined in studio by our china experts, clifford kuhn and spent a number of years living in reporting in china to ford. you've been watching the days events, it's night time by now in beijing is just gone 7 pm. but let's get into what was discussed today. right. this is a controversial visit, a visit. all of sholtes has been criticized by friends in the european union. he's been criticized by members of his own governing coalition for, for taking this trip in the 1st place. let's get into the issues there. what stood out for you at just watching him taking questions from our colleagues in the press and overall the press conference that we saw earlier with the premier leakage in? well, i think if there's one issue that really crystallizes a lot of the complaints and the criticism that there's been ahead of this visit, it's the at the costco sale, excuse me, in hamburg. and just to remind you as i was the sale of, of a around a one 3rd stake in one of the port facilities in hamburg court to the chinese state shipper. costco, which is being controversial because it's critica