The ambassadors of Russia and China criticized the idea of an international “Summit for Democracy” to be held in December at the initiative of the United States. The ambassadors called the summit “an obvious product of the Cold War mentality,” according to their joint article in the National Interest.
“This will cause ideological confrontation and division in the world. It is impossible to prevent the formation of a global polycentric architecture, but this can complicate the objective process. China and Russia categorically reject this step, ”the article says.
The ambassadors are convinced that democracy is a universal right of all peoples, and not the prerogative of individual countries. This right can be exercised in a number of ways. If people do not have the right to vote after the elections, then “this is not real democracy,” the authors of the article note.
The ambassadors of China and Russia described in detail the political system in the two countries. So, in China there is a “vast, integral, socialist democracy”, there are eight non-communist parties in the country, which also participate in the government. In Russia, the development of democracy is closely linked to culture and tradition, and democratic institutions were further strengthened by amendments to the Constitution adopted in a referendum in 2020.
China and Russia call on countries to “stop provoking division and confrontation, practice mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation in international relations, and work towards the harmonious coexistence of countries with different social systems, ideologies, history, cultures and levels of development,” the article says.
Earlier, the US State Department said that the summit “will demonstrate one of the unique strengths of democracy – the ability to recognize its weaknesses and confront them openly and transparently.” Summit participants on December 9-10 will discuss three key topics: protection from authoritarianism, combating and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.
The State Department also released a list of 110 countries whose leaders have been invited to the Summit for Democracy. It did not include Russia, China, Turkey and Hungary, and Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine received an invitation from the post-Soviet countries.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the upcoming summit “another” club of interests “for confrontation with countries that maintain strategic independence from the collective West, their sovereign vision of a just world order – primarily with Russia and China.”
“The US arrogates to itself the right to determine who is worthy of being called a democracy and who is not; who is a democratic country and who is not. It looks cynical, ”said Maria Zakharova, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
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