Biden administration invites Taiwan to its Summit for Democracy
The Hindu
The invite for Taiwan comes as China has stepped up pressure on countries to downgrade or sever relations with the island, which is considered by Beijing to have no right to the trappings of a state
The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its "Summit for Democracy" next month, according to a list of participants published on November 23, a move likely to infuriate China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory.
The first-of-its-kind gathering is a test of President Joe Biden's assertion, announced in his first foreign policy address in office in February, that he would return the United States to global leadership to face down authoritarian forces led by China and Russia.
There are 110 participants on the State Department's invitation list for the virtual event on December 9 and 10, which aims to help stop democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide. The list does not include China or Russia.