Joe Biden claimed that Asian allies Japan and India‘s “xenophobic” policies towards immigrants have caused their economies to stall.
Speaking at a 2024 re-election campaign fundraiser in Washington, Biden said, “One of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants.”
On Wednesday, Biden said, “Why is China stalling so badly economically, why is Japan in trouble, why are Russia and India in trouble? Because they are xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. It is immigrants who make us strong,” he said, kicking off Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Last month, Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumiyo Kishida in Washington and announced projects ranging from plans for military cooperation and missiles to strengthening alliances against China and Russia, focusing on measures from the moon landing.
The meeting gave a remarkable boost to bilateral relations between Washington and Tokyo, bringing the World War II foes to their closest cooperation since they became allies decades ago.
The President’s latest remarks against key Asian allies India and Japan come as he campaigns against the anti-immigrant stance of his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Biden is also seeking to build broad economic and political ties with both countries to counter global rivals China and Russia.
Immigration is fast becoming a central issue in the presidential campaigns for the November 2024 election, widely expected to be a Biden-Trump rematch, with both sides trying to use border issues to their political advantage. Biden advocates legal immigration because it benefits the American economy.
However, the International Monetary Fund forecast last month indicated that both countries’ economic growth would slow in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The slowdown will range from 0.9 percent in highly developed Japan to 6.8 percent in emerging India.
At the same time, the US will grow by 2.7 percent, slightly faster than last year’s 2.5 percent. According to economists tracking post-pandemic trends, this better-than-expected performance is partly attributed to an expanding labor force supported by immigrants.
In his efforts to return to the White House, Trump has frequently attacked migrants in derogatory terms, calling them dangerous criminals who “poison America’s blood” and frequently resorting to lies about immigration.
Trump promised to complete the construction of the border wall and launch “the largest deportation operation in American history”.
