US President Donald Trump has been involved in war of words with China since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. In a move to enrich the arsenal to confront China in the post Covid world, he has put forth the idea of expanding the G7 grouping.
Trump extended an invitation to India, which is diplomatically handling a border issue along Ladakh with China for past few weeks.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a telephonic conversation with the US President Donald Trump, accepted the offer to be part of the ‘expanded G7’, the group of most powerful nations to discuss the collective approach to China.
Trump decided to postpone the G7 meeting till September and invite India, Russia, Australia and South Korea to discuss a plan on how to deal with the future of China.
The phone conversation is significant in view of the ongoing face-off between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. Though Trump had offered to mediate between the two Asian giants to resolve the violent stand-off, neither India nor China used the services of his office.
Both India and China are talking using diplomatic channels to resolve the issue. Last week, however, Trump had claimed that Modi was not pleased with the Xi Jinping regime over the ongoing border conflict.
During the phone call, Trump spoke about the US Presidency of the Group of Seven, and “conveyed his desire to expand the ambit of the grouping beyond the existing membership, to include other important countries including India”, a Government statement said.
“He extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the next G-7 Summit to be held in the US.”
The government, however, did not elaborate on the mechanics of the ‘expanded G7’ and in what capacity will India participate in the group.
Modi also expressed his concerns regarding the ongoing civil disturbances in the US, and conveyed his best wishes for an early resolution of the situation, the statement said.
The two leaders also exchanged views on other topical issues, such as the Covid-19 situation in the two countries, the situation on the India-China border, and the need for reforms in the World Health Organization.