US President Joe Biden hosts the first of two Summits for Democracy, which takes place virtually between December 9–10.
The summit aims to bring about an “affirmative agenda for democratic renewal” and to “tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action,” according to the US Department of State.
On Thursday, Biden opened the summit with remarks, calling for world leaders to “lock arms” and take global action to embolden democratic institutions as he noted the threats they face worldwide.
More than 100 participants have been invited to the summit, including Taiwan and Ukraine, but not China or Russia.
Ambassadors to the US from China and Russia published a joint essay calling out their omission from the summit, per AP, and saying that the US is exhibiting a “Cold-War mentality” that will “stoke up ideological confrontation and a rift in the world.”
