Biden touts US as democracy champion, China scoffs

President Joe Biden said Friday that democracy "knows no borders" as he closed a two-day summit on democratic freedoms while fending off a storm of criticism from China and domestic critics alike.

Biden's presidency has focused on restoring America to what Ronald Reagan liked to call a "shining city on the hill," or a beacon for freedom that other nations look up to.

But the Washington summit, held by video link because of Covid-19, underlined difficulties facing the United States in resurrecting that traditional role.

In closing comments to leaders from scores of countries, as well as representatives of NGOs and philanthropical bodies, Biden said democracy "knows no borders. It speaks every language. It lives in anti-corruption activists, human rights defenders, journalists."

"We're committed to working with all those who share those values to shape the rules of the road," Biden vowed, saying the United States will stand by those "who give their people the ability to breathe free and not seek to suffocate their people with an iron hand."

Biden has spoken repeatedly about the world reaching an "inflection point" in a struggle between growing autocracies and increasingly under-fire democracies.

On the first day of the virtual summit, he pledged $424 million to support media freedom, fair elections and anti-corruption campaigns.