Japan, India criticize President Biden after he called them "xenophobes"

Japan and India have criticized US President Joe Biden after he called them "xenophobes" and claimed the two countries "don't want immigrants".

At a campaign fundraiser on Wednesday, Biden claimed that the economies of Japan and India have struggled because they do not welcome immigrants.

"One of the reasons our economy is growing is because we welcome immigrants," Biden said at a gathering of mostly Asian-American donors.

"Why is China stagnating economically? Why is Japan in trouble? And Russia? And India? Because they are xenophobes. They don't want immigrants," he explained.

The US president's comments drew criticism in both Tokyo and New Delhi.

In a statement, the Japanese embassy in Washington DC called Biden's comments "malicious", stressing that they were "not based on an accurate understanding of Japan's policies".

While Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar rejected Biden's comments, stressing that India's economy is not faltering and India has always been a very open society.

Last year, India became the fifth largest economy in the world with a growth of 8.4%, overtaking the United Kingdom.