Reiterating his offer to mediate on the border dispute between India and China, US President Donald Trump has said that he spoke with Narendra Modi about the “big conflict” and asserted that the Indian Prime Minister is not in a “good mood” over the latest flare-ups between the two countries.
Speaking with the reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Trump said a “big conflict” was going on between India and China.
“I like your prime minister a lot. He is a great gentleman,” the president said.
“Have a big conflict …India and China. Two countries with 1.4 billion people (each). Two countries with very powerful militaries. India is not happy and probably China is not happy,” he said when asked if he was worried about the border situation between India and China.
“I can tell you; I did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He is not in a good mood about what is going on with China,” Trump said.
A day earlier, the president offered to mediate between India and China.
Trump on Wednesday said in a tweet that he was “ready, willing and able to mediate” between the two countries.
Responding to a question on his tweet, Trump reiterated his offer, saying if called for help, “I would do that (mediate). If they thought it would help” about “mediate or arbitrate, I would do that,” he said. India on Wednesday said it was engaged with China to peacefully resolve the border row, in a carefully crafted reaction to Trump’s offer to arbitrate between the two Asian giants to settle their decades-old dispute.
“We are engaged with the Chinese side to peacefully resolve it,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, replying to a volley of questions at an online media briefing.
