NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar rejected U.S. President Joe Biden's comments that “xenophobia” is hampering economic growth in the South Asian country, the Economic Times reported on Saturday.
Jaishankar said during a roundtable hosted by the newspaper on Friday that the Indian economy is “not faltering” and that it has historically been a very open society.
“That's why we have the Citizenship Amendment Act, which aims to open doors for people who are facing problems… I think we should be open to people who need to come to India, who have the right to make a claim,” he added. “Come to India,” Jaishankar said, referring to the recent law allowing migrants who have fled persecution from neighboring countries to become citizens.
Earlier this week, Biden said “xenophobia” in China, Japan and India was holding back growth in their economies, as he said immigration was good for the US economy.
“One of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and so many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden said at a fundraiser for his 2024 re-election campaign to mark the start of his 2024 re-election campaign. Island Heritage Month.
Last month, the International Monetary Fund expected growth in Asia's three largest economies to slow in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The International Monetary Fund also expects the US economy to grow at 2.7%, a slightly faster rate than its 2.5% rate last year. Many economists attribute these optimistic forecasts in part to immigrants expanding the country's workforce.
Remove ads
.
