US invites Taiwan to its democracy summit, angering China

The Biden administration has invited Taiwan to its 'Summit for Democracy' next month, according to a list of participants published on Tuesday, a move that infuriated China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory, reports Reuters. 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 Dec 9 and 10, which aims to help stop democratic backsliding and the erosion of rights and freedoms worldwide.