Further infuriating Beijing, Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy it claims as part of its territory, was invited, as was Nathan Law, a pro-democracy activist and former legislator from Hong Kong now exiled in London.
In response, China has ramped up propaganda efforts in a bid to promote an alternative model of "democracy," twisting the definition of the term to fit its own authoritarian one-party system. "This is a preemptive strike against Biden's Democracy Summit," said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, an expert on Chinese politics at Hong Kong Baptist University. "Now China feels that it needs to be not only on the defensive, but also on the offensive as well."
