NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden has made a bold statement attributing the economic struggles of India, China, and Japan to ‘xenophobia’. Speaking at a fundraising event in Washington for his 2024 re-election campaign, Biden stated that these countries are economically stalling because “they’re xenophobic” and “don’t want immigrants”.
Biden argued that migration is beneficial for the economy of the United States, stating, “One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants”.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had forecasted last month that each country would see its growth decelerate in 2024 in comparison to 2023. This could range from 0.9% in highly developed Japan to 6.8% in India, while the United States would grow at 2.7%, slightly faster than its 2.5% in 2023.
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Biden’s remarks come at a time when migration has been a major concern among many US voters ahead of November’s presidential election. His administration has focused on broad economic and political relations with countries including Japan and India while the US counters China and Russia globally.
China has swiftly responded to President Joe Biden’s comments attributing economic struggles to ‘xenophobia’ with a sharp rebuttal. A spokesman from the Chinese foreign ministry, Lin Jian, has openly questioned Biden’s intentions, raising doubts about whether the accusation was directed towards China or the United States itself. However, as of now, there have been no specific reactions reported from India and Japan regarding Biden’s remarks, leaving the response from these key Asian nations yet to unfold.