Joe Biden calls US allies India and Japan 'xenophobic' - BBC News

The White House has downplayed the comments, saying the president 'values' India and Japan's friendship.

11 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The White House has said that Joe Biden meant no offence to Japan or India with his comment.By Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, WashingtonUS President Joe Biden has called Japan and India "xenophobic", grouping them together with Russia and China as countries that "don't want immigrants".

His criticism of Japan comes just weeks after he called the US-Japan alliance "unbreakable" during a state visit from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

India is also a key US partner, despite US concerns about human rights and religious freedoms there.

The White House says that Mr Biden meant no offence to either country.

Speaking to a predominantly Asian-American audience at a campaign fundraising event on Wednesday evening, Mr Biden said that the US election this November was about "freedom, America and democracy".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68947042

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