Biden calls US allies India and Japan 'xenophobic'

US President Joe Biden has called Japan and India "xenophobic", grouping them unneurotic with Russia and China arsenic countries that "don't privation immigrants".

His disapproval of Japan comes conscionable weeks aft helium called the US-Japan confederation "unbreakable" during a authorities sojourn from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

India is besides a cardinal US partner, contempt US concerns astir quality rights and spiritual freedoms there.

The White House says that Mr Biden meant nary offence to either country.

Speaking to a predominantly Asian-American assemblage astatine a run fundraising lawsuit connected Wednesday evening, Mr Biden said that the US predetermination this November was astir "freedom, America and democracy".

"Why? Because we invited immigrants," helium added. "Think astir it. Why is China stalling truthful severely economically? Why is Japan having trouble. Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they're xenophobic. They don't privation immigrants."

The BBC has contacted the US embassies of Japan, India, China and Russia for comment, but did not person an contiguous reply.

The comments, however, person drawn disapproval from observers successful the US.

On X, formerly Twitter, Elbridge Colby, a erstwhile US lawman adjunct caput of defence successful the Trump administration, wrote that Japan and India "are 2 of our precise stoutest and important allies".

"We should talk to them with respect, which they bid and deserve," helium added. "Applying parochial progressive views to our allies is patronising and foolish."

The White House denied that the comments were meant successful a derogatory sense, with nationalist information spokesperson John Kirby saying helium was making a wider constituent connected US migration policy.

"Our allies and partners cognize good successful tangible ways however President Biden values them, their friendship, their co-operation" Mr Kirby said. "They recognize however overmuch helium wholly and utterly values the thought of alliances and partnerships."

Sadanand Dhume, a South Asia adept astatine the Washington DC-based American Enterprise Institute, told the BBC that Mr Biden's comments would astir apt beryllium received poorly successful India arsenic it experiences a "nationalist upsurge".

"It volition corroborate the thought among a conception of Indians that Mr Biden is not affable to India," helium said. "They volition not instrumentality kindly to having been clubbed on with authoritarian countries similar China."

In precocious April, a US Department of State study recovered "significant" quality rights abuses successful India, which its authorities said "is profoundly biased and reflects a precise mediocre knowing of India."

In the longer term, however, Mr Dhume said that remarks are a "tempest successful a teacup" and "unlikely to importantly impact US-Indian relations."

While Japan has for decades had immoderate of the world's astir restrictive migration policies, it has precocious sought to code a steadily shrinking colonisation by facilitating the introduction of overseas workers.

Mr Biden, who repeatedly characterised erstwhile US President Donald Trump arsenic xenophobic during his 2020 campaign, has taken an progressively restrictive attack to migration amid wide choler - from some sides of the governmental spectrum - implicit his handling of the US-Mexico border.