Japan and India respond to Biden’s statements

Today, Saturday, India and Japan responded to statements by US President Joe Biden regarding “xenophobia.”
The two countries expressed their regret over these statements.
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that what Biden said does not reflect reality, explaining, in comments published today by the Economic Times newspaper, that “first of all, our economy is not faltering.”
He added, “India is a very unique country… In the history of the world, it has been an open society… Different people from different communities come to India.”
India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and recorded an 8.4 percent increase in gross domestic product in the last quarter of last year, according to official figures published last February.
In turn, the Japanese government said, in a statement today, that “it is unfortunate that statements were made that are not based on an accurate understanding of Japanese policy,” stressing that Tokyo informed the White House of this message.
Biden believed that “xenophobia” was behind the economic difficulties facing Japan and India.
Biden said, “Why does Japan have problems? …And India? Because they are xenophobic countries.”
Biden, who is seeking to win a second term in the White House in the November elections, made his remarks on Wednesday during a fundraising event for his campaign in Washington and to celebrate the start of Heritage Month for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
These statements were not published until Thursday.
“One of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and so many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” the president said.
Since taking office in 2021, Biden has been keen to strengthen relations with US allies in Asia, especially India and Japan. He hosted Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
On Thursday, the US presidency sought to downplay the impact of the president’s comments. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, “Our allies know very well how much the President respects them and appreciates their friendship and contributions.”