U.S. President Joe Biden invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in December, according to a list posted on the State Department website on Tuesday.
The conference was a campaign pledge by Biden, who has placed the struggle between democracies and "autocratic governments" at the heart of his foreign policy.
The "Summit for Democracy" is set to take place online on December 9 and 10 ahead of an in-person meeting at its second edition next year. China and Russia are not included on the list.
Nevertheless, the United States invited Taiwan, a move bound to anger China and inflame tensions between the two superpowers.
"I agree Taiwan more than qualifies- but it does seem to be (the) only democratic govt invited that the US govt does not officially recognize. So its inclusion is a big deal," tweeted Julian Ku, a Hofstra University law professor whose specialities include China.
India, often called "the world's biggest democracy," will be present despite increasing criticism from human rights defenders over democratic backsliding under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In like manner, Pakistan will attend the summit despite its checkered relationship with Washington.
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