'Democracy summit' ruse criticized

KAMPALA/JOHANNESBURG/PHNOM PENH－The "Summit for Democracy" put together by the United States last week has been denounced by many as a political tool to serve its own interests, and to stoke division and confrontation around the world.

Phay Siphan, chief spokesman for the Cambodian government, said such an event reflected Cold War mentality, adding that democracy has different forms and there is no one-size-fits-all model.

Zhang Lizhong, Chinese ambassador to Uganda, said the forms of democracy in the world could be just as diverse as nature is.

"Just as birds in nature are supposed to be colorful, in politics, democracy could be and should be realized in multiple ways," said Zhang in an article published by Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor.

"A one-size-fits-all model of democracy for the whole world does not exist and there is no democratic system that can claim to be perfect or superior to others."

Chen Xiaodong, Chinese ambassador to South Africa, said the summit ran counter to the spirit of democracy, and has exposed the US' true intention to weaponize democracy to serve its self-interests.

In an opinion piece published on the South African news site Independent Online, Chen said the meeting has undermined the harmonious atmosphere for international cooperation and the environment for world peace and development.

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said the US always interferes in the internal affairs of other countries under the banner of democracy.

'Instigating contradictions'

"The US violates the sovereignty of other countries, and breaks the basic principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations," he said.

"This superpower always instigates contradictions and ideological opposition, and creates new divisions."

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the US has launched military interventions in Afghanistan and other countries in the name of democracy, leading to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and displacing tens of millions.

"Instead of learning lessons and correcting its mistakes, the US has gone even further to instrumentalize and weaponize democracy by convening this summit to incite division and confrontation for its geopolitical strategy and gains," said Huang in a speech during a media session.

Benyamin Poghosyan, chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Armenia, criticized the US' attempt to postpone the emergence of a multipolar world order and extend the US' hegemony for as long as possible through its Summit for Democracy.

The US action to divide the world based on ideology will only increase mistrust among main international players and complicate global problems, he said in an interview with Xinhua.

Xinhua