TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The White House announced on Wednesday (Aug. 11) that U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a democracy summit via videoconferencing in December, and based on an earlier invitation announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Taiwan will likely participate.

The White House stated in a press release Wednesday that Biden will invite leaders from a "diverse group of the world's democracies" to attend the online Summit for Democracy, which will be followed by a second session in a year's time. The first summit will focus on three major themes: "defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights."

The White House pointed out that after a year of "consultation, cooperation and action," Biden will invite the leaders of various countries to attend a second summit to show their progress on fulfilling their commitments. If circumstances permit, the second meeting will be held in person.

According to the statement, the two summits will include heads of state as well as civil society, philanthropy, and private sector representatives to give them the opportunity to talk openly about the challenges facing democracy, listen to each other, share success stories, and promote international cooperation to jointly "strengthen the foundation for democratic renewal."

The list of invitees has not yet been released, but while attending a hearing of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 10, Blinken pledged he would invite Taiwan to participate in the summit. During the hearing, Brinken said that Taiwan has a strong democratic system, is an important technology hub, and "is also a country that can contribute to the world, not just to its own people. COVID-19 is a good example of this."