Earlier this week, former US President Barack Obama kicked off an international trip for private meetings with some of the world's top leaders and to give speeches at various summits.
The first stop on his itinerary: Shanghai.
Yesterday, Obama was spotted giving an address at the third annual Global Alliance of SMEs Summit at the Shanghai World Expo Center.
As many as 2,500 Chinese entrepreneurs were in attendance for Obama's 20-minute keynote speech at the summit. Local media report that Obama primarily spoke about Sino-US relations and the global economy.
Watch a brief video from Obama's appearance below (VPN off):
Outside of China? Watch on Youtube here.
Obama will reportedly be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today, marking the first time the two leaders have gotten together since September 2016 when they signed the Paris climate agreement. It's also the first time Obama has visited the Middle Kingdom since he left the White House.
"As President, Obama forged a close and cooperative partnership with President Xi on issues ranging from growing the global economy to combating climate change, and he looks forward to catching up with his former counterpart," an Obama spokesperson told CNN.
Obama and Xi during a meeting in 2014
Afterwards, Obama will head to India for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before heading to Paris.
Obama's visit comes on the heels of successor Donald Trump's Asia trip earlier this month, which included a short pit-stop in Beijing.
READ MORE: The First Chinese Journalist to Meet Obama
[Images via Twitter, Weibo, iFeng, Shanghai Observer]
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