U.S. "democracy summit" anything but democratic: Chinese diplomat

MOSCOW, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The United States has become a major obstacle to the democratization of international relations by holding the so-called "Summit for Democracy," which is harmful to the cause of international democracy and solidarity, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui has recently written.

In an article published in Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Zhang outlined the dangers of such a summit, particularly due to its hidden motives and undemocratic nature, saying that the United States, which has been criticized by the global community for its own handling of human rights issues, is now deeply gripped by domestic and foreign troubles.

"Racial discrimination, the gap between the rich and poor, a chaotic electoral system, and problems with tackling the pandemic" have all proven the ineffectiveness of Washington's democracy in its national governance, said the diplomat.

Using democracy as a pretext for expansion, Zhang added, Washington has intervened abroad on numerous occasions, hiding its true motives under humanitarian purposes or human rights protection.

In fact, "the democratic transformations there have led to numerous humanitarian disasters on a global scale, including the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria," said the ambassador.

It is absolutely absurd when a country that grossly violates international law and the principles of national sovereignty with the aim to maintain its hegemony decides to host a summit for democracy, Zhang said, adding that the very fact that Washington decides which countries are invited and can be considered democratic is in itself "illegal" and discriminatory.

"The summit will not bring tangible benefits to real-world democracy," he said.