External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar dismissed US President Joe Biden’s assertion that “xenophobia” hindered India’s economic progress during an ET round table on Friday. Jaishankar countered, affirming India’s robust economy and historical openness as a society. He highlighted the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as evidence of India’s welcoming stance towards those in need. The CAA facilitates citizenship for immigrants fleeing persecution in neighboring countries.
Simply put, xenophobia means “extreme dislike or fear of foreigners, their customs, their religions, etc.” according to Cambridge Dictionary.
Biden’s remarks earlier in the week had criticised xenophobia in China, Japan and India, attributing it to economic limitations. “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 fundraising event for his 2024 re-election campaign and marking the start of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Jaishankar countered by saying, “First of all, our economy is not faltering…India is always… India has been a very unique country… I would say actually, in the history of the world, that it’s been a society which has been very open… different people from different societies come to India.”
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast last month that growth in Asia’s three largest economies would slow in 2024 from the previous year. The IMF also forecast that the U.S. economy would grow 2.7%, slightly brisker than its 2.5% rate last year. Many economists attribute the upbeat forecasts partly to migrants expanding the country’s labour force.
(With inputs from agencies)