India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has rejected US President Joe Biden’s comments that “xenophobia” is hampering the South Asian country’s economic growth, the Economic Times reported on Saturday.
Jaishankar told a roundtable discussion hosted by the newspaper on Friday that India’s economy was “not in a downturn” and that it had historically been a very open society.
“That is why we have enacted the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), with the aim of opening doors for people in need…people who need to come to India, who have the right to come to India. I think we should be open to people in India,” Jaishankar said, referring to recent legislation allowing immigrants fleeing persecution from neighboring countries to become citizens.
Biden earlier this week argued that immigration is good for the U.S. economy and said “xenophobia” in China, Japan and India was hindering their respective economic growth.
“One of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and so many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden said. He made the remarks at a fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign to mark the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Japan criticized Biden’s character as “unfortunate” and misguided.
“It is unfortunate that the comments were made that are not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policies,” the Japanese government said in a government statement on Saturday.
According to the statement, the Japanese government has already conveyed this message to the White House and reiterated its policy and position.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last month predicted that growth in Asia’s three largest economies will slow in 2024 from a year ago.
The IMF also predicted that the US economy would grow at 2.7%, slightly more vigorous than last year’s 2.5%. Many economists believe part of this positive outlook is due to immigrants expanding the country’s workforce.