Russia, China reject US' idea of holding Summit for Democracy

Russia and China have firmly rejected the US idea to hold the Summit for Democracy, saying it creates new dividing lines in the international community which contradicts the development of the modern world.

The United States on Tuesday had unveiled a list of 110 countries invited to attend a democracy summit on December 9-10. Russia and China are not invited to take part in the summit.

"The US will be hosting the online Summit for Democracy on December 9-10, 2021, empowering itself to define who is to attend the event and who is not, who is a 'democratic country' and who is not eligible for such status," the ambassadors - Anatoly Antonov from Russia and Qin Gang from China, said in a joint article published in Washington based National Interest magazine.

"An evident product of its Cold-War mentality, this will stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world, creating new 'dividing lines.' This trend contradicts the development of the modern world. It is impossible to prevent the shaping of a global polycentric architecture but could strain the objective process. China and Russia firmly reject this move," the diplomats added.

The envoys stated that there is no need for the West to worry about their democracy, and called on the Western countries to focus on their own affairs.

On December 9-10, US President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit for leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector.

There are 110 participants on the State Department's invitation list for the virtual event, which aims to help stop democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide, according to the US State Department.

The summit will focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad, the statement said.

"For the US, the summit will offer an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage with a diverse range of actors whose support and commitment is critical for global democratic renewal. It will also showcase one of democracy's unique strengths: the ability to acknowledge its imperfections and confront them openly and transparently, so that we may, as the United States Constitution puts it, form a more perfect union," the State Department said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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