U.S. 'summit for democracy' is set to fail: SABC columnist

The so-called "summit for democracy," hosted by the U.S., may prove to be "a big meaningless virtual gathering," wrote Abbey Makoe, former senior political editor at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

The U.S.'s foreign policy is once again disrupting global peace and harmony and creating divisions across the world, said Makoe in an opinion piece on the SABC website.

Makoe pointed to the vague criteria the U.S. employed in picking participants to the event, which notably excluded countries such as China, Russia and Singapore.

He implied that the move may target China as the East Asian country is seen by the U.S. as a threat to its unipolar position.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin last week slammed the event for being a tool and cover to advance the U.S.'s geopolitical objectives.

If the event organizer thought the U.S. could spur a large part of the global community against China and Russia, that would be a huge miscalculation, Makoe wrote.

Makoe called for the U.S. to learn to live with the reality that China is rising and resort to peaceful coexistence with the country.