Japan, India reject Biden's comments describing them as xenophobic – Winnipeg Free Press

TOKYO (AP) – Japan and India on Saturday condemned what they described as “xenophobic” countries that reject immigrants by U.S. President Joe Biden, which the president said during a campaign fundraiser earlier in the week.

Japan said Biden's decision was not based on an accurate understanding of his policies, while India dismissed the claim, defending itself as the world's most open society.

Biden grouped Japan and India together with Russia and China as “xenophobic” countries as he sought to explain their struggling economies, comparing the four to the strength of the US as a nation of immigrants.

Japan is a key US ally, and both Japan and India are part of the Quad, an informal US-led partnership that includes Australia to counter an increasingly powerful China in the Indo-Pacific.

A few weeks ago, Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for an official visit, as the two leaders reiterated their “unbreakable alliance” and agreed to strengthen security ties against Chinese threats in the Indo-Pacific.

Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid a state visit to Washington, where he was welcomed by business and political leaders.

The White House said Biden was not offended and had no intention of damaging relations with Japan, saying the US is a country of immigrants.

A Japanese government spokesman, who declined to be identified on Saturday because of the sensitivity of the matter, said Japan was aware of Biden's warning, as well as subsequent comments.

The official said it was unfortunate that part of Biden's speech was not based on an accurate understanding of Japanese politics, and that Japan understood that Biden was speaking to emphasize the presence of immigrants as an American strength.

As Prime Minister Kishida demonstrated during his visit to the United States in April, Japan-US relations are “stronger than ever,” the official said.

In New Delhi on Saturday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also rejected Biden's comments, saying that India is the most open society in the world.

“I have never seen such an open, pluralistic and diverse society anywhere in the world. We are not really xenophobic, we are the most open, the most pluralistic and in many ways the most understanding society in the world,” Jaishankar said at a round table organized by the Economic Times.

Jaishankar also pointed out that India's annual GDP growth is 7% and said, “If you check the growth rate of other countries, you will find the answer.” According to the government, the US economy will grow by 2.5% in 2023.

At a hotel fundraiser Wednesday where donors were largely Asian-American, Biden said the upcoming U.S. election is about “freedom, America and democracy” and that the country's economy is booming “because of you and others.”