Not how you talk about friends: Joe Biden slams Donald Trump for calling India 'filthy'

"President Trump called India "filthy." It's not how you talk about friends-and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change," he wrote in a tweet, referring to Democratic vice president nominee Kamala Harris.

"@KamalaHarris and I deeply value our partnership-and will put respect back at the center of our foreign policy," he further added.

On Friday, President Trump, who is seeking a second term at the White House, referred to "filthy air" in India as he defended his decision to pull out of the Paris accord - a global deal to combat climate change by reducing CO2 emission, among other steps.

"Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy. I walked out of the Paris Accord as we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly," Trump had said during the second and final debate on television with Biden.

"I will not sacrifice millions of jobs... thousands of companies because of the Paris Accord. It is very unfair," he had said at the televised debate in which the two leaders did not shake hands owing to Covid-19 situation.

Trump's retort came after Democrat candidate Joe Biden's assertions that climate change is "an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it."

"We're going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years," he had said.

Trump's remarks came days before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper are scheduled to visit New Delhi for strengthening US-India partnership.

The US President's critical reference to India has drawn a sharp reaction in the Asian country as well, with many urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue a strong reaction to Trump's statement.

Meanwhile, the US will go for polls on Nov 3,  which is closely followed by the world.