The President of the United States, Joe Biden, will bring together in December, by videoconference, the heads of state and government for a “summit for democracy”, an alternative meeting to the traditional G20 and which will exclude China, today the America’s greatest commercial adversary.
According to a White House statement, the meeting will be held on December 9 and 10 and will bring together heads of state and government, as well as representatives of civil society and the business world “from a diverse group of democratic countries.” .
The White House did not specify which countries will be invited to the summit, but said it will also bring together representatives of civil society, the private sector and philanthropic entities.
Biden plans to bring the same participants together a year later, preferably in person, to assess progress on three main issues: “defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption and promoting human rights.” , according to the text.
G20 leaders – made up of the world’s major economies, including authoritarian governments like China and Saudi Arabia – are expected to meet in late October in Italy.
The invitation launched by the United States also broadens the restricted framework of the G7, the club of the most powerful democracies, in which emerging countries and Latin America are not represented.
“The challenge of our time is to prove that democracies can improve the lives of their citizens and solve the big problems facing the world,” the statement said, picking up on a recurring subject of Biden.
The US president has said he wants to resume the role of “leader of the free world” traditionally claimed by the occupant of the White House, but which was ignored by his predecessor Donald Trump. In four years in the White House, the Republican rejected any multilateral approach and focused on bilateral negotiations, often conflicting.
The White House described the summit as “an opportunity for world leaders to listen to each other and their citizens, share achievements, stimulate international collaboration and speak honestly about the challenges of democracy” around the world. .
During a trip to Europe in June, Biden offered a major infrastructure plan to the Western Democracies of the G7 that he will compete with the Chinese Belt and Silk Road Initiative, which is funding work in d ‘other countries. He also chaired a NATO summit, with a critical report of the Asian country.