India is a very open society, says Minister S Jaishankar in response to Joe Biden’s ‘xenophobic’ remark

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reacted to US President Joe Biden’s ‘xenophobic’ remark and mentioned India has at all times been open and welcoming to folks from various societies.

Speaking to Economic Times, S Jaishankar mentioned: “First of all, our economic system is not faltering.”

“India is at all times… India has been a very distinctive nation… I’d say truly, in the historical past of the world, that it’s been a society which has been very open… completely different folks from completely different societies come to India,” he advised the newspaper.

What did Joe Biden say?

Grouping along with international locations like China and Russia, US President Joe Biden lately described Japan and India as ‘xenophobic’.

He made the remark simply weeks after he referred to as the US-Japan alliance “unbreakable”.

India is a key US associate.

“Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” he added. “Think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having hassle? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t need immigrants,” Biden was quoted as saying by BBC Asian-American viewers whereas talking at a marketing campaign fundraising occasion on Wednesday (May 1, 2024).

Criticising the feedback, Elbridge Colby, a former US deputy assistant secretary of protection in the Trump administration, posted on X: “Japan and India are two of our very stoutest and necessary allies. We ought to communicate of them with respect, which they command and deserve.”

“Applying parochial progressive views to our allies is patronizing and silly,” he mentioned.

The White House, in the meantime, denied that the President made the remarks in a derogatory sense.

US nationwide safety spokesman John Kirby was quoted as saying by BBC: “Our allies and companions know properly in tangible methods how President Biden values them, their friendship, their co-operation.”

Kirby mentioned, “They perceive how a lot he fully and completely values the thought of alliances and partnerships.”