President Joe Biden has accused China, Japan and India of being “xenophobic”, claiming that their dislike of immigration is holding them back economically.
Biden, speaking on Wednesday at a Washington fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign and marking the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, said that 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,” the President said.
“Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan having trouble, why is Russia, why is India, because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong.”
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The International Monetary Fund forecast last month that each country would see its growth decelerate in 2024 from the year prior, ranging from 0.9% in highly developed Japan to 6.8% in emerging India.
They forecast that the United States would grow at 2.7%, slightly brisker than its 2.5% rate last year. Many economists attribute better-than-expected performance partly to migrants expanding the country’s labour force.
Concern about irregular migration has become a top issue for many US voters ahead of November’s presidential election.
Biden, who has condemned the rhetoric of his Republican opponent Donald Trump as anti-immigrant, has worked to court broad economic and political relations with countries including Japan and India to counter China and Russia globally.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
Read more:
Lockdowns Spur Flood of Emigration Inquiries in China – FT
IMF Tips 3.2% Global Growth, Warns China on Property Crisis
Japanese Firms Eye Moves to the US as ‘China Illusion’ Fades
Jaded Chinese Millionaires Flocking to Singapore – SCMP
