Pakistan declines US invitation for Biden's Democracy Summit, says 'can engage in future'

Pakistan on Wednesday declined the United States’ invitation for the Democracy Summit which will take place virtually on December 9-10 and will be hosted by US President Joe Biden. Pakistan said that it values its partnership with Washington but proposed engagement to be done on the subject “at an opportune time in the future”. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan’s rejection came as China was not even invited by Washington. The summit is set to witness the participation of 100 nations including India which the US has called its “indispensable partner”. 

Turning down US offer, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement, “We are thankful to the United States for inviting Pakistan for participation in the Summit for Democracy, being held virtually on 9-10 December 2021.”

“We value our partnership with the U.S. which we wish to expand both bilaterally as well as in terms of regional and international cooperation. We remain in contact with the U.S. on a range of issues and believe that we can engage on this subject at an opportune time in the future,” it said.

The statement, which was shared on social media, also noted, “Pakistan will, meanwhile, continue to support all efforts aimed towards strengthening dialogue, constructive engagement, and international cooperation for the advancement of our shared goals.” US President Biden is yet to make any direct contact with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan after nearly a year in US presidential office.

China slams US over Democracy Summit

While China remains uninvited by the US for Biden-hosted Democracy Summit, Beijing launched a campaign to discredit what it termed as ‘US-style democracy’ ahead of the virtual two-day event. In recent days, both Chinese state media and diplomats made a range of attacks on the Biden administration and called the summit “a game of money politics” and “rule of the few over the many”, stated The guardian. Chinese officials have also promoted the mainland’s one-party governing model and called it “socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics” and “a whole-process democracy.”

For the first of two Summits for Democracy, the United States has invited at least 110 leaders from government, civil society, and the private sector “to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.” On International Day of Democracy, US President Joe Biden said, “No democracy is perfect, and no democracy is ever final. Every gain made, every barrier broken, is the result of determined, unceasing work.” The US has also extended its invite for the summit to Taiwan, further irking China which considers the self-ruled democratic island as its own 'breakaway province'.

(IMAGE: AP)