Footage shows Trump's Treasury secretary in tense standoff with Chinese security guards

President Donald Trump's Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, was briefly stopped by Chinese security during the administration's trip to the country last week, The Daily Beast reported on Monday.

"Footage circulating online appears to show Scott Bessent being stopped outside the Great Hall of the People, one of the Chinese Communist Party’s chief government buildings in Beijing, ahead of a state banquet held in Trump’s honor at the venue on Thursday," said the report. "The guards seem to be pointing out that Bessent isn’t wearing what was likely an entry or clearance pin on his suit after blocking him at the door. After a brief conversation, he is handed an item by his aides and then allowed into the building."

According to the report, "White House reporters traveling with the U.S. guard said that entry into the site, where Trump was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, was delayed for an 'intense' half-hour, with rival security officials on both sides refusing to step down."

This comes after the summit was met with intense scrutiny by political observers for certain discrepancies, including the fact that the White House and Beijing appeared to have two different versions of what happened.

It also comes as Trump's ongoing lack of commitment to defend Taiwan from Chinese aggression raises alarm bells among security experts.