Amid US-China Trade War, Donald Trump Shifts Tone on Xi Jinping, Calls Him 'Great Leader'

Paris, August 27: US President Donald Trump seemed to have mellowed down his tone on trade war with China and even shifted his take on Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The US President said that both America and China can reach common ground in terms of trade. President Trump had called Xi Jinping an "enemy" a few days before. US-China Trade War: Can India Offset Huawei’s Global Losses Post US Ban?

US President Donald Trump on Monday also skipped a discussion on climate and biodiversity at the G7 meeting here due to a "scheduling conflict", missing talks on how to deal with the Amazon rainforest fires as well as new ways to cut carbon emissions.

As other leaders were taking their seats around a large round table, the chair reserved for Trump was empty. He was later asked by reporters whether he had attended the climate session, to which he replied: "We're having it in a little while." He did not appear to hear when he was told that the session had already taken place.

The White House said Trump's schedule prevented his attendance at the climate session, the US media reported. "The President had scheduled meetings and bilaterals with Germany and India, so a senior member of the administration attended in his stead," said Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were seen attending the climate session, at least at the start of the discussion. After the session, French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to shrug off Trump's absence. (With Agency Inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2019 12:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).