Xenophobia: Jaishankar rejects Biden’s claims, defends India’s eco growth
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has rejected US President Joe Biden’s claim that “xenophobia” was hobbling India’s economic growth—as also that of Japan, China, and Russia.
At a roundtable on Friday, he said India’s economy “is not faltering” and that it has historically been a very open society.
“That’s why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble … I think we should be open to people who need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India,” Dr. Jaishankar said, referring to a recent law that empowers immigrants from minority communities who have fled persecution from neighboring Islamic countries to become Indian citizens.
Earlier this week, President Biden commented that “xenophobia” in China, Japan, Russia, and India was holding back growth in these economies as he argued migration has been good for the US economy.
“One of the reasons why our economy’s growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden said at a fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign marking the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast last month that growth in Asia’s three largest economies would slow in 2024 from the previous year.
The IMF also forecast that the US economy would grow 2.7 percent, slightly higher than the 2.5 percent rate last year. Some economists attribute the upbeat forecasts partly to migrants expanding the country’s labor force.
