Biden blames China, Japan and India's economic woes on 'xenophobia'

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on how the CHIPS and Science Act and his investing in America agenda are growing the economy and creating jobs in Central New York and communities across the country, during a visit to the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, New York, U.S., April 25, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

By Trevor Hunnicutt

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that "xenophobia" from China to Japan and India is hobbling their growth, as he argued that migration has been good for the U.S. 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 Washington fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign and marking the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

"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."

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 a migrants expanding the country's labor force.

Concern about irregular migration has become a top issue for many U.S. 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.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters