Cornyn apologised after it was brought to the notice of the media by an Indian American.

'Senator Cornyn regrets the mistake and apologises for any misunderstanding this may have caused,' Kevin McLaughlin, his spokesperson, said in a statement.

'Senator Cornyn misspoke saying 'India' when he meant to say 'China'. As Founder and Co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, no senator has greater respect or admiration for India or values our relationship with them more,' McLaughlin said.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)