Trump praises China's Xi, India's Modi among world leaders

U.S. President Donald Trump has named Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among the world leaders he most admires, describing Xi as "all business" and Modi as a strong and effective leader.

Speaking in an interview with Axios about global leaders who possess power, influence and the ability to act decisively, Trump highlighted Modi's leadership of India, the world's most populous country.

"I think Modi is very good," Trump said. "He's had some very good numbers announced. He stays out of wars, which is smart. He's actually the biggest. India's actually the biggest."

Trump went on to describe Modi as "a great leader" and noted the growing economic relationship between the United States and India. He said trade between the two countries has become fairer in recent years, while acknowledging that India had previously benefited more from bilateral trade arrangements.

"We do a lot of business with them, but now we do fair business," Trump said. "They used to really rip us off. I don't blame them for that. We had stupid politicians that allowed that to happen."

The U.S. president also praised Xi, calling the Chinese leader "great" and describing him as a leader focused on business and execution.

By Sabina Mammadli