US officials defended President Joe Biden on Friday amid an outcry over his assertion that India was ‘xenophobic’.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that the POTUS was making a ‘broader point’ and respected its allies and partners.
Jean-Pierre, however, claimed that the President was speaking about “how important it is to be a country of immigrants" and how its policies have made America stronger.
And the President, if you just look at the last three years, has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships.
While China and Russia are considered rivals, his remarks on Japan and India came as a surprise to many.
US officials defended President Joe Biden on Friday amid an outcry over his assertion that India was ‘xenophobic’. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that the POTUS was making a ‘broader point’ and respected its allies and partners. The remarks, made during a recent fundraiser, have also prompted a sharp rebuttal from Chinese officials.
“You know, one of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants. We look to -- the reason -- look, think about it. 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," Biden said at a Washington fundraising event earlier this week.
Jean-Pierre, however, claimed that the President was speaking about “how important it is to be a country of immigrants" and how its policies have made America stronger.
“It relates to our relationship with our allies, that continues. Obviously, we have a strong relationship with India (and) with Japan. And the President, if you just look at the last three years, has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships. He was talking about who we are as a country. He was talking about the importance of being in a country of immigrants, especially as you see the attacks that we have seen very recently, in the last couple of years, those attacks on immigrants, in particular," the White House Press Secretary said.
While China and Russia are considered rivals, his remarks on Japan and India came as a surprise to many. The latter countries are also members of QUAD, a four-member strategic security dialogue that includes the US and Australia.
(With inputs from agencies)
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