Japan and India reject Biden's description of them as xenophobic

Japan and India on Saturday decried remarks by President Joe Biden describing them arsenic “xenophobic” countries that do not invited immigrants, which nan president said during a run fundraising arena earlier successful nan week.

Japan said Biden’s judgement was not based connected an meticulous knowing of its policy, while India rebutted nan comment, defending itself arsenic nan world’s astir unfastened society.

Biden grouped Japan and India arsenic “xenophobic” countries, on pinch Russia and China arsenic he tried to explicate their struggling economies, contrasting nan 4 pinch nan spot of nan U.S. arsenic a federation of immigrants.

Japan is simply a cardinal U.S. ally, and some Japan and India are portion of nan Quad, a U.S.-led informal business that besides includes Australia successful countering progressively assertive China successful nan Indo-Pacific.

Just weeks ago, Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida connected an charismatic visit, arsenic nan 2 leaders restated their “unbreakable alliance” and agreed to reenforce their information ties successful nan look of China’s threat successful nan Indo-Pacific.

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi also made a authorities sojourn to Washington past year, erstwhile he was welcomed by business and governmental leaders.

The White House said Biden meant nary discourtesy and was simply stressing that nan U.S. was a federation of immigrants, saying he had nary volition of undermining nan narration pinch Japan.

Japan is alert of Biden’s remark arsenic good arsenic nan consequent clarification, a Japanese authorities charismatic said Saturday, declining to beryllium named owed to nan sensitivity of nan issue.

The charismatic said it was unfortunate that portion of Biden’s reside was not based connected an meticulous knowing of Japanese policies, and that Japan understands that Biden made nan remark to stress nan beingness of immigrants arsenic America’s strength.

Japan-U.S. relations are “stronger than ever” arsenic Prime Minister Kishida showed during his sojourn to nan U.S. successful April, nan charismatic said.

In New Delhi, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar connected Saturday besides rebutted Biden’s comment, saying India was nan astir unfastened nine successful nan world.

“I haven’t seen specified an open, pluralistic, and divers nine anyplace successful nan world. We are really not conscionable not xenophobic, we are nan astir open, astir pluralistic and successful galore ways nan astir knowing nine successful nan world,” Jaishankar said astatine a roundtable organized by nan Economic Times newspaper.

Jaishankar besides noted that India’s yearly GDP maturation is 7% and said, “You cheque immoderate different countries’ maturation rate, you will find an answer.”

The U.S. system grew by 2.5% successful 2023, according to authorities figures.

At a edifice fundraiser Wednesday, wherever nan philanthropist assemblage was mostly Asian American, Biden said nan upcoming U.S. predetermination was astir “freedom, America and democracy” and that nan nation’s system was thriving “because of you and galore others.”

“Why? Because we invited immigrants,” Biden said. “Look, deliberation astir it. Why is China stalling truthful severely economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants.”

Japan has been known for a strict stance connected immigration. But successful caller years, it has eased its policies to make it easier for overseas workers to travel and enactment successful Japan arsenic a measurement to mitigate its declining births and quickly shrinking population. The number of babies calved successful Japan past twelvemonth fell to a grounds debased since Japan started compiling nan statistic successful 1899.

India, which has nan world’s largest population, enacted a caller citizenship rule earlier this twelvemonth by mounting belief criteria that allows fast-tracking naturalization for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled to India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, while excluding Muslims.