Bloomberg (“Biden Says Japan ‘Xenophobic’ Along With China, Russia“):
US President Joe Biden included ally Japan along with rivals China and Russia in a list of countries he called “xenophobic” in a speech at a campaign fundraising event in Washington.
Biden reiterated remarks he made last month linking China’s economic woes to its unwillingness to accept immigration. This time he added Russia, but also longstanding ally Japan, whose Prime Minister Fumio Kishida he welcomed for a summit and state dinner in Washington three weeks ago.
“You know, one of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden told Asian American and Pacific Islander donors Wednesday. “The reason – look, think about it. Why is China stalling so bad economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic, they don’t want immigrants.”
His criticisms and the fact that Japan was mentioned alongside two major US rivals could raise hackles in Tokyo. The US and Japan announced a “significant upgrade” to their defense ties last month, citing the need to counter China’s “dangerous” actions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Biden’s reference to India was unusual, given the economy is the fastest growing of any major nation and, unlike Japan and China, its population is young and expanding. India’s Ministry of External Affairs wasn’t immediately available to comment when contacted for a response.
Allies know “very well how much the president respects them, their friendship, values, their contributions,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday when asked about the president’s comment.
“The broader point that the president was making — and I think people all around the world recognize this — is that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and it’s in our DNA,” Kirby said. “We’re better for it, we’re stronger for it. We’re not going to walk away from it.”
NYT‘s Michael Shear (“Biden Calls Japan and India ‘Xenophobic’ in Defending U.S. Immigration“) adds:
For months, President Biden has been under pressure to prove he can be tough at the border. But at a campaign reception on Wednesday night, he also tried to voice his commitment to America’s long history of immigration.
He did so by taking a swipe at two of America’s partners, saying that Japan and India are struggling economically “because they’re xenophobic.” He said the two democratic countries, along with China and Russia, “don’t want immigrants.”
“Immigrants are what makes us strong,” the president told the crowd of supporters. “Not a joke. That’s not hyperbole, because we have an influx of workers who want to be here and want to contribute.”
[…]
he president’s comments also underscore how Mr. Biden is trying to find a politically palatable balance on immigration as he seeks a second term in the White House.
In response to anger from Republicans and Democrats about historic surges of migrants at the southern border, the president signed off on the most restrictive immigration legislation in years. That legislation stalled in Congress, but now Mr. Biden is considering whether to use his executive power to enact a severe crackdown on asylum on his own.
At the same time, Mr. Biden is trying to assert the moral high ground on the country’s treatment of migrants by drawing a contrast with former President Donald J. Trump and his yearslong assault on immigration.
Many advocates for immigrants have said they expected explicit support for what the president called a “humane” approach to immigration to continue in Mr. Biden’s White House. But the reality has been more complicated.
As the situation on the border worsened, demands for tougher action grew — even from the president’s Democratic allies in big cities like Chicago, New York and Denver. While Mr. Biden has proposed new legal options for some migrants to enter the United States, his policies and rhetoric have become more forceful.
The combination of the headline and the fact that the Bloomberg story was topped by a photo of Biden shaking hands with Kishida gave me the initial impression that these remarks were made while the President was welcoming a visiting ally. That he said it three weeks later in front of an immigrant group softens the damage rather considerably.
Still, including Japan and India, a close ally an a traditionally non-aligned country that we’ve been working to bring into our orbit for decades, was an unforced error. In the case of Japan, it at least happens to be true—they’re xenophobic and it’s truly hurting an economy that was the world’s second largest in recent memory. While India is currently led by a Hindu nationalist and certainly has a history of vile racism, it also has a long history of being welcoming to immigrant labor. And, as noted, its economy is growing faster than ours.
The larger issue, though, is the one Shear notes: the strange juxtaposition of extolling America as a nation of immigrants while at the same time pandering to our own xenophobia regarding our southern border. We welcome immigrants—but only the right kind. While we’ve certainly experienced waves of xenophobia and outright racism with regard to our immigration policy, we’ve shifted in recent decades to preferring those with skills that are immediately useful in our high-tech industry. Which is pretty much in line with what most advanced countries have done.
