Japan, India don’t want immigrants, they are xenophobic: Joe Biden
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New York: The US President Joe Biden on Wednesday told a largely Asian American audience at a fundraising campaign that Japan and India are ‘xenophobic’ saying they do not welcome immigrants, The Guardian reported.
He also put the two countries together with China and Russia comparing their ‘economic circumstances with that of the US, attributing American success to immigration.
Biden’s remark on Japan, which is a critical US ally, comes just three weeks after Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, celebrating what Biden called “unbreakable alliance”.
Biden welcomed PM Modi in the White House for a lavish state visit last summer.
Biden said the US economy was ‘thriving’ adding that the US elections are about ‘freedom, America and democracy’.
Claiming that immigrants make America strong, Biden said: ‘Look, think about it. 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.’
The president added: ‘That’s not hyperbole, because we have an influx of workers who want to be here and want to contribute.”
India and Japan have not yet reacted to Biden’s remarks while the White House national security spokesman has softened the statement saying that ‘Biden was making a broader point about the US posture on immigration’, according to The Guardian.
‘Our allies and partners know well in tangible ways how President Biden values them, their friendship, their cooperation and the capabilities that they bring across the spectrum on a range of issues, not just security related,’ Kirby reportedly said on Thursday morning.
