Our Bureau
Washington
This term literally means ‘a fear or hatred of foreign people and cultures’. Of late, the term Xenophobia is making rounds all around since President Joe Biden said, “China, Japan, Russia, and India were not faring well economically because they are xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants.” He was talking about the US reputation for welcoming immigrants. It often stems from not understanding or being unfamiliar with those who are “different”.
President Biden was speaking at a Democratic Party fundraiser. He claimed that “immigrants are what makes us strong,” adding, “We have an influx of workers who want to be here and want to contribute.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre spoke on President’s statement, “President is always going to be really clear on speaking to issues that matter to the American people, further claiming that we are a country of immigrants. That matters. And we’ve seen these attacks. And so, the President is never going to shy away from that.”
Meanwhile, India’s External foreign minister Jaishankar rejected US President Joe Biden’s comment that “xenophobia” was hobbling the South Asian nation’s economic growth. Jaishankar further India’s economy is ‘not faltering’ and that it has historically been a society that is very open.
“That’s why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble … I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India,” Jaishankar said. The CAA removes barriers for acquiring Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who arrived in India on or before 31 December 2014.
According to Reuters, there is a forecast by IMF that the US 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 labor force.
