Biden labels Japan and India ‘xenophobic’ along with China and Russia
Al Jazeera
Comments met with surprise since US president has sought to deepen ties with key ally Japan, as well as India.
President Joe Biden has labelled key United States ally Japan and partner India alongside China and Russia as countries that were failing to reap the economic rewards of migration because they were “xenophobic”.
Speaking at a campaign fundraising event in remarks that were not filmed or recorded, Biden said hostility towards foreigners was hobbling their growth.
“One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden said at the event to mark the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
“Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan having trouble, why is Russia, why is India, because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong.”
Biden’s remarks on Japan and India came as a surprise since he has made a point of strengthening ties with the two countries since taking office in 2021.
