Ties with India strong: US bid at damage control after Biden’s ‘xenophobic’ remarks

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, May 3

The White House has tried to dilute the impact of President Joe Biden calling close partners India and Japan “xenophobic” and lumping them in the same category as China and Russia.

Made broader point

Biden was making a broader point. We have a strong relationship with India & Japan. Karine Jean-Pierre, white house press secy

“He was making a broader point. Our allies and partners know very well that how much this President respects them. As you know, with regard to Japan, they were just here for the state visit. The US-Japan relationship is an important relationship. It’s a deep, enduring alliance,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at her daily news conference on Thursday.

“He (Biden) was making a more broad comment, speaking about this country and speaking about how important it is to be a country of immigrants and how it makes our country stronger. And so, that’s what he was talking about. It relates to our relationship with our allies, that continues. We have a strong relationship with India and Japan. And the President, if you just look at the past three years, has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships,” she said.

Jean-Pierre went on to say that Biden was talking about the importance of being in a country of immigrants, “especially as you see the attacks that we have seen very recently, those attacks on immigrants, in particular”.

“The President is always going to be really clear on speaking on issues that matter to the American people. 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,” Jean-Pierre said.

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