United States Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden has slammed US President Donald Trump’s remarks on India’s air pollution. The former vice president said that he and his running mate Kamala Harris deeply value America's partnership with India.
“President Trump called India 'filthy'. It's not how you talk about friends and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change,” Biden said in a tweet, two days after Trump during a presidential debate accused China, India and Russia of not taking care of their "filthy" air.
“Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. The air is filthy," Trump had said during the final presidential debate with Biden in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday.
“Kamala Harris and I deeply value our partnership and will put respect back at the centre of our foreign policy,” Biden said in a tweet Saturday as he retweeted his op-ed in the latest issue of ethnic India West weekly. In the op-ed, the former vice President wrote, “The Obama-Biden years were some of the best we've ever had between our two countries. A Biden-Harris administration will build on that great progress and do even more. We can and should be natural allies.”
“That's why if elected President, I will continue what I have long called for: The US and India will stand together against terrorism in all its forms and work together to promote a region of peace and stability where neither China nor any other country threatens its neighbours,” he said. “We'll open markets and grow the middle class in both the United States and India, and confront other international challenges together, like climate change, global health, transnational terrorism and nuclear proliferation,” said Biden.
On climate change, Trump accused China, India and Russia of not taking care of their filthy air as he justified America's withdrawal from the landmark Paris climate agreement. "Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India, it's filthy. The air is filthy. We have the best emission numbers that we've had in 35 years under this administration. We are working so well with the industry," he said.
"The Paris Accord, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly. When they put us in there, they did us a great disservice. They were going to take away our businesses," he asserted. "We have the best environmental numbers, ozone numbers, and so many other numbers. In the meantime, China, Russia, India all these countries they're spewing stuff into the air,” he alleged at the debate. China is the world's biggest carbon emitter followed by the US, India and the EU.