US: "Taiwan is a Leading Democracy... Democracy Summit Does Not Exclude Any Specific Country"

Pre-Briefing for the Democracy Summit to Be Held on the 9th-10th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. officials have stated that the Democracy Summit, led by U.S. President Joe Biden and scheduled for the 9th and 10th, will focus on standing against authoritarianism and corruption while promoting human rights.

While the U.S. explained that the summit is not intended to exclude any specific country amid strong opposition from China, which claims the meeting targets them, it evaluated Taiwan as a leading democracy and expressed its determination to directly confront China’s objections to Taiwan’s participation.

On the 7th (local time), a senior White House official briefed in advance about the Democracy Summit, explaining that strengthening democracy will be the top priority at the meeting attended by leaders from 110 countries.

The official said, "This summit provides a platform for leaders to listen and speak candidly about the challenges and opportunities faced by democratic governments and how democracy can fulfill its promises to their people."

The official also explained that the U.S. government plans new announcements related to better utilizing election integrity and export controls to prevent technology from being used to violate human rights during the summit.

Additionally, new policy announcements are expected regarding press freedom and independence, the fight against corruption, free and fair elections, strengthening democratic reform forces, and the use of technology to rebuild democracy.

The official stated, "We know that no democracy, including our own, is perfect. We are humbly preparing for the summit. We see this summit as a special opportunity to raise interest in revitalizing democracy and to mobilize international action."

The official added that President Biden will candidly acknowledge domestic issues in the U.S. and will also address voting rights issues and attacks involving Republican lawmakers.

Regarding Taiwan’s participation, which China strongly opposes, the official said, "Taiwan will make a meaningful commitment toward the summit’s goals of standing against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights both domestically and internationally. That is Taiwan’s role."

The official further emphasized, "Taiwan is a leading democratic country. It has strong experience in transparently developing democracy. It has developed best practices to prevent fake news and is a global leader in using new technologies to make governance transparent."

The official also explained that Taiwan has participated in the summit in a manner consistent with the One-China policy and will continue to do so.

In response to questions about China’s claim that it is also a democracy, the official said the summit is not intended to exclude any specific country.

The official emphasized, "The true goal of this summit is to bring together diverse participating countries to build a shared foundation for democratic renewal."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.