India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar rejects Biden’s “xenophobia” comment

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India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar rejected US President Joe Biden’s comment that “xenophobia” was diminishing the country’s economic growth.

Jaishankar said at a round table hosted by India’s financial daily The Economic Times on May.3 that India’s economy “is not faltering” and that it has historically been a society that is very open.

“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 have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India,” Jaishankar said, referring to a recent law that allows immigrants who have fled persecution from neighboring countries to become citizens.

Sporadic protests had broken out in parts of the country after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government implemented the Citizenship Amendment Act on March 11. The law, which has faced criticism for alleged discrimination against Muslims, was put into effect just days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

On May.1, Biden had said “xenophobia” in China, Japan and India was holding back growth in the respective 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.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast last month that growth in Asia’s three largest economies would slow in 2024 from the previous year, Reuters reported.

The IMF also forecast that the US economy would grow 2.7%, slightly brisker than its 2.5% rate last year. Many economists attribute the upbeat forecasts partly to migrants expanding the country’s labor force.

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