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President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping submitted their nations' plans to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon here, the host city of this year's Group of 20 meetings.

The US and China are the world's largest carbon polluters, and officials hope their formal entry into the Paris accord will spur other nations to come aboard. The Paris agreement only goes into effect if 55 nations sign on.

Because the US plan was termed an "executive agreement," the White House says Obama did not require Senate approval for ratification.

"I believe that history will judge today's efforts as pivotal," Obama said after he and Xi formally submitted their nations' plans.

In talks with Xi after the announcement, Obama raised areas over which Washington and Beijing remain firmly at odds, including over the rising Asian power's territorial grabs in the South China Sea, its engagement in cyber warfare, a monetary policy often unwelcome in the West and longstanding concerns over human rights abuses.

"We will have candid conversations about some of those differences, issues like human rights, or cyber, or maritime," Obama said. "I am absolutely committed to ensuring not only that this is a productive meeting but that we are also setting the stage so that the next US administration comes in with a relationship that is on a strong and productive footing."

Obama, who touched down in Hangzhou just after 2 p.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), is embarking on a final bout of delicate overseas diplomacy before his successor is elected in November. He arrived in Asia on Saturday for meetings with some of his most nettlesome counterparts.

A pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the airport's tarmac was marred, however, by scuffles between US officials and Chinese security, who attempted to keep members of the media and some senior Obama aides away from the US President.

"This is our country. This is our airport," one Chinese official insisted when US presidential aides said that American reporters were allowed to view Obama's arrival. Officials also briefly attempted to block US National Security Adviser Susan Rice from moving toward the President.

The confrontation lasted only moments before the US delegation sped away toward the city center.

It was likely just the first tense moment on a trip rife with tension for Obama, who, during his final presidential trip to Asia, is taking a final stab at face-to-face negotiations to resolve simmering disputes.

Obama's aides insist China is a success story for the administration but acknowledge the persistent differences between the countries. They said those divergences would be covered in Obama's talks with Xi, as they have been for the past several years.

"Part of what I've tried to communicate to President Xi is that the United States arrives at its power, in part, by restraining itself," Obama told CNN's Fareed Zakaria in an interview ahead of the Asia trip, previewing his message.

"So where we see them violating international rules and norms, as we have seen in some cases in the South China Sea or in some of their behavior when it comes to economic policy, we've been very firm," he added. "And we've indicated to them that there will be consequences."

"Our relationship with China ... defies easy and simple definitions," said Daniel Kritenbrink, Obama's senior director for Asian affairs. "We recognize and are comfortable with the fact that there exists a broad range of tensions in the US-China relationship. We don't shy away from that tension."

For Obama, this week's trip to China and Laos is one of his last opportunities to shape American foreign policy before other leaders adapt their approach to the US based on the next president. He hopes to make a closing argument in some of his most fraught relationships before the business of state is handed off.

Aside from Xi, Obama planned formal meetings with the leaders of Turkey and the Philippines amid new disagreements.

Deep divides over Syria have also marred Obama's relationship with Putin, adding to a litany of discord between the US and Russia that's driven relations to their lowest level since the Cold War.

It's a final attempt to salvage what's become one of the most acrimonious relationships on the global stage. Putin's persistent support for the Syrian regime, Moscow's moves in Ukraine and the charge that Russia may be meddling in the US presidential contest have built a deeply antagonistic dynamic between the two leaders.

Obama has worked hard to develop the Philippines' partnership with the US and its role as a regional counterbalance to China. He's visited the country twice in his second term, and announced on a stop there in November the return of a US military presence at a critical naval base on the South China Sea.

But Duterte's derogatory comments and a spike in extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers put the relationship in stormier waters.

Obama is expected to complete one more foreign swing as President, traveling to Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November and likely making additional stops in a presidential farewell tour.

But that trip is scheduled after the presidential election, meaning his stops in China and Laos this week will be his final chance to interact with world leaders before either Trump or Hillary Clinton make him a lame duck.

Obama is planning to meet British Prime Minister Theresa May for the first time since she replaced his stalwart partner David Cameron. The consequences of the Brexit vote were likely to arise in the summit's various economic sessions.

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Obama, China ratify climate agreements - CNNPolitics.com

"We are heartbroken by the loss of life," Obama said after seeing firsthand the damage in the state's capital that has caused more than 106,000 residents and households to register for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. More than 60,000 homes were damaged, officials said, and 13 people were killed.

"I think anybody who can see just the streets, much less the inside of the homes here, people's lives have been upended by this flood," he added.

The flooding has created political headache for the White House as critics blasted Obama for being too slow to visit the state. He spent the previous week vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, while Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, visited the state and handed out supplies.

"Tuesday's too late," Trump told Fox News this weekend. "Hop into the plane and go down and go to Louisiana and see what's going on, because it's a mess."

The city's newspaper, "The Advocate," originally criticized the President for not ending his vacation in Martha's Vineyard immediately to visit the region. But the editorial board praised his decision to come Tuesday.

Trump's visit was well-received by local officials, and for a moment it gave Trump a chance to reveal a presidential timber that he insists he has.

"Because it helped to shine a spotlight on Louisiana and on the dire situation that we have here, it was helpful," said John Bel Edwards, the state's Democratic governor.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Air Force One defended the timing of the trip, saying the "President is used to people trying to score political points even in situations where they shouldn't."

Earnest said that $120 million in aid has already been approved and is starting to be paid out to flood-impacted residents.

Edwards, who greeted Obama when he landed Tuesday, had previously said that he hoped the President would wait a few weeks before making his visit to the state, given the entourage and Secret Service personnel that comes with presidential trips that would have strained resources while officials were coping with the floods.

Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic opponent, said Monday that she too plans a trip to the flood site. Her campaign said in a statement that she would come to the state at an unspecified time in the future.

"This month's floods in Louisiana are a crisis that demand a national response," she said. "I am committed to visiting communities affected by these floods, at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response, to discuss how we can and will rebuild together."

Obama also met Tuesday with family members of police officers killed in last month's Baton Rouge attack. Three Baton Rouge area police officers were killed last month when they were ambushed by a gunman. That gunman, Gavin Long, was shot and killed by police.

Obama's vacation ended Sunday, and the White House has maintained that he has been regularly briefed by senior staff on the situation on the ground and top administration officials also were sent to the Louisiana. Yet his response has earned some comparisons to how George W. Bush handled another natural catastrophe in a Louisiana city, New Orleans, during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Obama has traveled to disaster sites in recent years, touring communities in Oklahoma and Arkansas destroyed by tornadoes along with New Jersey towns hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Residents such as Denham Springs' Todd Krichel are still grappling with the scale of the destruction.

Krichel told CNN's Nick Valencia he had lost a classic car he had been holding onto for years, a motorcycle he had been working on since the early 1980s and a family Bible from the late 1800s in the deluge.

"I pulled in this street this morning and a wave hit me and it just, I broke down, you know (what) I'm saying," Krichel said outside his house. "It just, all my friends, family all our friends on this street, look at it. ... And I pulled down there and it was pretty tough to swallow."

Although Krichel said he did not want to evoke politics, he agreed Obama should have visited the stricken area earlier.

"I think it's great that Trump came into town to show his support. I think that's a good thing that he did that, to tell you the truth," he said.

But while residents such as Baton Rouge's Marie Sibley pleaded to Obama "to just help us," others like Albany's Catherine Murphy were less optimistic.

"There ain't nothing he can do for us that Louisiana ain't done for ourselves," Murphy said. "I've got no help from the federal government. I ain't asking for help from the government. Baby, let me tell you my community has come through."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included a photo that incorrectly identified Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter.

CNN's Eugene Scott and Naomi Lim contributed to this report.

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Obama tours Louisiana amid criticism that he's late ...

President Obama so far has no plans to cut short his 16-day vacation in Martha's Vineyard to visit flood-affected Louisiana.

The White House is emphasizing the massive response led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in recovery efforts, which has received praise from Louisiana's Gov. John Bel Edwards.

However, some critics are looking to connect what they see as a lackluster response compared to former President George W. Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina.

"If the president can interrupt his vacation for a swanky fundraiser for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, as he did on Monday, then surely he can make time to show up for a catastrophe thats displaced thousands," the editorial board of The Advocate wrote on Thursday.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump is likely to seize on the sentiment as he visits the state this morning to meet with local officials. Hillary Clinton has not announced her plans in regards to visiting the area, but earlier tweeted that she is "closely monitoring" the situation.

"The optics of Obama golfing while Louisiana residents languished in flood waters was striking," the editorial board said. "It evoked the precedent of the passive federal response to the states agony in 2005, a chapter of history no one should ever repeat."

However, Gov. Edwards defended the administration's response yesterday evening saying the president's visit could be disruptive in having to redirect law enforcement resources to handle security.

If the president visits, Edwards said, he should wait at least two weeks.

White House officials say Obama has continued to receive updates throughout the week and point to the resources mobilized on the ground in Louisiana.

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Critics Call for Obama to Cut Vacation Short to Visit Flood ...

President Obama enjoys a round of golf with NBA star Chris Paul while on vacation at Martha's Vineyard. (Reuters)

Two important things happened today in the political world of President Obama.

The first was that the Advocate, a Louisiana newspaper chain,published an editorial calling on the president to come to the state to see the horrible flooding first-hand. It read, in part:

Weve seen this story before in Louisiana, and we dont deserve a sequel. In 2005, a fly-over by a vacationing President George W. Bush became a symbol of official neglect for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The current president was among those making political hay out of Bushs aloofness.

Sometimes, presidential visits can get in the way of emergency response, doing more harm than good. But we dont see that as a factor now that flood waters are subsiding, even if at an agonizing pace. Its past time for the president to pay a personal visit, showing his solidarity with suffering Americans.

Tough stuff, right?

The second thing that happened was this tweet.

Cue outrage.

The I-can't-believe-he-is-on-vacation-while-terrible-news-event-happens narrative is neither new nor unique to Obama. George W. Bush was regularly pilloried by his political opponents for extended vacations at his ranch in Crawford, Tex. (Bush once took a five-week break during the summer of 2005.)

And, as has been documented ad nauseam, there's really no such thing as a vacation for a president of the United States.Presidents dont get vacations they just get a change of scenery, Nancy Reagan famously told critics of her husband's regular trips to the family's ranch. Work, especially in this digital age, follows you around.

Still, it's worth noting this moment. And that's because it speaks to Obama's unique and long-lasting commitment to not playing by a core rule of modern politics: making at least some decisions based on "how it looks" and/or "how it will play."

Obama has long been a rejectionist on this front. His stubborn refusal to rebut claims regarding what was in the Affordable Care Act badly hamstrung his party's attempt to win the fight for public perception on the law. His unwillingness to say the words "radical Islamic terror" have become a hobbyhorse for conservatives andRepublican presidential nominee Donald Trump. And so on and so forth.

Obama just doesn't like to fake it. If he doesn't want to do something or thinks it's stupid to do it regardless of whether it actually is stupid he won't do it.This riff in response to Republican criticism of how Obama describes the threat posed by the Islamic State militant group, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL,captures his view on perception politics nicely:

For a while now, the main contribution of some of my friends on the other side of the aisle have made in the fight against ISIL is to criticize this administration and me for not using the phrase radical Islam. Thats the key, they tell us we cant beat ISIL unless we call them radical Islamists. What exactly would using this label accomplish? What exactly would it change? Would it make ISIL less committed to trying to kill Americans? Would it bring in more allies? Is there a military strategy that is served by this? The answer is none of the above. Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. This is a political distraction...

...There has not been a moment in my seven and a half years as president where we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didnt use the label "radical Islam." Not once has an adviser of mine said, man, if we really use that phrase, we're going to turn this whole thing around. Not once. So if someone seriously thinks that we dont know who we're fighting, if there's anyone out there who thinks we're confused about who our enemies are, that would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who we've taken off the battlefield.

He's genuinely angry not an emotion you see all that much from any politician at that level but particularly the usually calm and professorial Obama. And he's angrybecause in Obama's mind the sort of performance-for-the-sake-of-performance that Republicans are demanding is everything that's wrong with politics.

(Nota bene: For all of you "ALL HE DOES IS PERFORM" readers, I know that is a view of Obama that many people hold. I am not blind to it. But this piece is about how Obama thinks of himself. Not how you or I think of him. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.)

That's why Obama won't break off his vacation in Martha's Vineyard or stop playing golf on said vacation to travel to Louisiana. Because he believes he can monitor the situation as well or better from where he is. And that the sole reason to go to Louisiana is for the theatrical piece of politics, a piece that he not only rejects but detests.

The Ash family has been through hurricanes Katrina and Isaac. They are once again trying to rebuild their lives after another natural disaster destroyed their home. (Paavo Hanninen,Zac Manuel/The Washington Post)

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Heres why President Obama isnt stopping his vacation to ...

President George W. Bush was torn to shreds in 2005 by mainstream media commentators for his initial response to Hurricane Katrina yet President Obamas detached response to the recent Louisiana floods has been met with resounding silence from those same outlets.

George Bush doesnt care about black people was the shocking charge by singer Kanye West about President Bushs response to Katrina. Wests was a particularly blunt assessment, but echoed a growing narrative pushed by mainstream media outlets that Bushs response was out of touch, inept and most of all, he didnt care about people on the ground.

Much of the media coverage at the time not only criticized Bush for the difficulties the federal government faced in responding to the disaster, but also lambasted him for taking too long to return from vacation and to visit the site on the ground.

When he did return early from vacation, just two days after the disaster hit, he faced further criticism for flying over New Orleans on his way back to Washington D.C. before flying out to visit the victims of the tragedy.

Mainstream media condemned Bushs alleged lack of compassion, immediately predicting it would destroy his entire legacy. A USA Today article written at the time summarized it this way:

President Bush has shown that he can be empathetic, sensitive and decisive. But those qualities eluded him for days after Hurricane Katrina, and the lapse could become a defining moment of his White House tenure, the analysis said.

The Washington Post would later go on to brand Bushs response the second worst moment of his entire presidency.

Such concerns have been almost entirely absent from media coverage of the Louisiana floods in recent days. At least 13 people have died, while at least 85,000 have registered for disaster aid.

While nowhere near as devastating as the hurricane, the floods have wrought significant destruction on the area. Meanwhile, Obamas response has been significantly more tepid than Bushs.

Obama has still not returned from his vacation at Marthas Vineyard, and the White House said Thursday Obama would spend the day golfing. While a White House spokeswoman said the president also spoke with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate to get an update after Fugate's visit to the area, there are currently no confirmed plans for Obama to end his vacation early.

A local paper has been one of the few voices to criticize Obamas response, reflecting growing annoyance at his response on the ground. In particular, it took aim at Obamas decision to attend a Hillary Clinton fundraiser Monday.

[I]f the president can interrupt his vacation for a swanky fundraiser for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, as he did on Monday, then surely he can make time to show up for a catastrophe thats displaced thousands, the editorial in The Advocate said.

The optics of Obama golfing while Louisiana residents languished in flood waters was striking. It evoked the precedent of the passive federal response to the states agony in 2005, a chapter of history no one should ever repeat, the paper wrote.

So far, there have been no mainstream media outlets criticizing Obamas apparent lack of response, nor have there been any celebrities claiming Obama doesnt care about the people on the ground.

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BIAS ALERT: Media that ripped Bush on Katrina ignores Obama ...