Reiterating his offer to mediate on the border dispute between India and China, US President Donald Trump has said that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is not in a "good mood" over the "big conflict" between the two countries. Interacting with journalists in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Trump said a "big conflict" was going on between India and China.
"They like me in India. I think they like me in India more than the media likes me in this country. And, I like Modi. I like your prime minister a lot. He is a great gentleman," he said, according to reports. "They have a big conflict, India and China. Two countries with 1.4 billion people. 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, I would do that," he said.
However, India had ignored Trump's offer, saying they are "engaged with the Chinese side to resolve the issue".
Addressing his weekly briefing, the ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that India and China had several established mechanisms at both the military and diplomatic fronts to resolve border situations, when they arise, through dialogue. He said that the Indian military scrupulously follows the guidelines laid down by the leaders of both the countries on this issue. He, however, emphasised that India remains firm in its resolve to ensure the nation's sovereignty and national security.
-Inputs from PTI
