President Trump on Wednesday welcomed Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga — who gave a horse to first son Barron Trump, which the commander in chief said would be named “Victory.”
Trump called a photo of the animal “beautiful,” and praised the fighting spirit of Mongolians.
“Mongolia — they’re great fighters. You know, they’re great fighters, great wrestlers, great champions,” the president told Battulga, a former judo champ who brought a sumo wrestling champ along with him to the US.
“And we have the grand champion of sumo wrestling with us, from a couple of years ago. And he’s here from Mongolia. I was told that in Japan, actually, that they’ve had four grand champions from Mongolia. So they’re great, great fighters. Your people are great fighters,” said Trump, who attended a sumo match on a recent trip to Japan.
“We need great fighters too.”
The vast northern nation locked between Russia and China is known for its ancient breed of tough, tiny horses ridden by Genghis Khan and other warlords — and often gives horses to visiting dignitaries.
The horse is unlikely to make the long trip to the US, a senior administration official told reporters, though Mongolian officials are eager that it be given a name.
Other US dignitaries to receive a symbolic horse in the past include former Vice President Biden, and former defense secretaries Chuck Hagel and Donald Rumsfeld.
Trump administration officials were eager to highlight the visit of Battulga, a champion wrestler and businessman who leads the democratic nation of only 3 million people, strategically located between two U.S. rivals. It is the first White House visit of a Mongolian president since 2011.
“We sometimes say that Mongolia has only got two physical neighbors – that it’s like a pearl between two oyster shells,” a second official told reporters.
Mongolia is concerned about its dependence on China, through which most of its goods move, and does not want to be subsumed by Chinese investments in infrastructure, telecommunications and banking.
The nation would like to find more investment from the United States and other countries it considers “third neighbors” for its cashmere, produced by nomadic goat-herders.
Mongolia would also like more trade in weapons and help with its cybersecurity.
The country is home to rich deposits of coal, uranium, and rare earth minerals used in weapons, consumer electronics and other goods, but suffers from a lack of transportation options. A rail link north to the Trans Siberian Railway could be one option.
Mongolia, a former Communist country, has also volunteered to play a part in Trump’s diplomatic overtures to Pyongyang, offering to host Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a summit.
Source: Read Full Article