A United Nations representative refused to give a direct response to the comments made by President Joe Biden of the United States, in which he blamed India's economic slowdown on xenophobia and reluctance to welcome immigrants.
Farhan Haq, who is the Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, refused to comment on Biden's statement at a press briefing when the question was raised by a journalist working for a Chinese television network. When probed about the UN's definition of "xenophobia," Haq simply referred to its traditional definition.
Biden, in comments made earlier this week, linked economic hardships across nations like China, Japan, Russia, and India to their aversion to immigration. However, several reports from international organizations and multinational corporations tell a different story, and they contradicted the statements made by Biden, which were sometimes factually wrong.
On the contrary to these remarks by Biden, statistics from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) show that India's economy has been on a growth spree, growing significantly faster than the US economy. Last year, the US economy grew by 2.5%, and this year, it is projected to grow by 2.7%. In the same period, India's economy grew by 7.8% last year and is projected to grow at a high rate of 6.8% this year.
The second country cited by Biden, China, grew at a rate of 5.2% last year, and it is likely to achieve a growth rate of 4.8% this year.
The White House tried to downplay the impact of Biden's comments, and spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that the President's comments were meant to highlight the importance of immigration to the United States. Jean-Pierre reiterated that diplomatic relations with countries such as India and Japan were essential.
In response to this statement made by Biden, the UN secretary general, Haq reiterated the commitment of the organization in upholding the principles of human rights and said that people of all races and nationalities should be treated with respect. He appealed to all member states of the UN to work towards this goal.
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