Weaponizing democracy against China to backfire on US: SCMP

HONG KONG -- Weaponizing democracy against China will backfire on the United States itself, according to a recent opinion piece by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

"China has demonstrated that a nation does not need to meet the West's definition of 'democracy' to achieve success for its people," said the article.

America's divisive exercise -- the so-called "summit for democracy" to be held on Dec 9 in Washington -- goes against the principles of the United Nations Charter, the article said. "Dividing the world into two camps is limiting, regressive, and a reflection of a Cold War mentality that is counter-productive."

"This is part of a wider strategy to impose a Pax Americana world order by weaponizing the noble notion of democracy, bolstering Washington's declining stature and hegemonic global influence," said the article.

Decades of Western hypocrisy have undermined trust in its assessments of China, and decades of double standards have eroded the credibility of the West, from repeated invasions of Asian and Middle Eastern nations to exploitative behaviour across the world.

The more the West attempts to convince the world that China is the threat, the more it isolates itself in its own echo chamber of Cold War narratives, according to the article.

"Flying the democracy banner should not be used as cover to run roughshod over international norms," the opinion piece said.