Blustery Prez chooses to hold back on China

TRUMP SPOKE OF HIS EXCELLENT TIES WITH THE CHINESE PREZ AND HIGHLIGHTED CHINA'S ROLE IN THE POSSIBLE RESOLUTION OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE

- Prashant Jha

WASHINGTON: One of the most striking things about an otherwise expansive Donald Trump, willing to hold court in the Oval Office and then do the longest press conference he has done with a visiting foreign leader so far, was his reticence on China and reluctance to say anything that could be deemed critical of the country.

Instead, Trump underplayed the competition with China, underlined he had no intention of beating anyone, spoke of his excellent ties with President Xi Jinping, highlighted China's role in the possible resolution of the war in Ukraine, spoke wistfully of possible denuclearisation with Russia and China, even offered to help mediate the India-China border issue if the countries wanted, an offer that India politely but firmly rejected the same evening.

He did all of this, while PM Narendra Modi sat and stood alongside. And this came just hours after Trump had told reporters in the Oval that he was keen on a meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.