In a roundtable hosted by a newspaper on Friday, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar contested US President Joe Biden’s comment that “xenophobia” was hindering India’s economic growth. Jaishankar emphasized that India’s economy is not faltering and that the country has historically been very open. He mentioned the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a reflection of India’s openness to people in need of refuge and those seeking citizenship.
Jaishankar also rejected Biden’s characterization of India as being xenophobic, stating that it did not accurately reflect the country’s policies. The US president had earlier accused China, Japan, and India of xenophobia and suggested that it was impeding economic growth. However, India rejected this accusation, stating that it did not accurately reflect the country’s policies.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently forecasted a slowdown in economic growth in Asia’s three largest economies in 2024. However, the US economy is expected to grow, with many economists attributing this growth to migrants expanding the country’s labor force. Biden’s comments on the role of immigration in economic growth have sparked debate and criticism in various parts of the world.
Biden’s statement accusing China, Japan, and India of xenophobia and suggesting that it was impeding economic growth was met with criticism from both India and Japan. While Japan expressed disappointment over Biden’s comments, suggesting that his remarks were misguided and not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policy positions, India rejected this characterization outright.