With 100 being the highest score, the Freedom House Democracy Index ranks China a 9.
QUICK FACTS:
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared on the Today Show to discuss her recent visit to Taiwan amid Chinese pushback.
- “Why don’t we just show China that we support Taiwan,” Pelosi stated in the interview, later calling President Xi of China “a scared bully.”
- “We still support the ‘one China’ policy,” Pelosi added. “We go there to acknowledge the status quo is what our policy is, there is nothing disruptive about that.”
- Pelosi discussed her supposed support for Taiwan before claiming, “It was only about saying China is one of the freest societies in the world.”
- “Don’t take it from me, that’s from Freedom House. It’s a strong democracy, courageous people.”
FREEDOM HOUSE DEMOCRACY INDEX:
- Freedom House ranks China as one of the least free countries, whereas Taiwan, ranking 94 out of 100, is one of the freest.
- Taiwan is described as a “vibrant and competitive democratic system [that] has allowed three peaceful transfers of power between rival parties since 2000, and protections for civil liberties are generally robust.”
- China, however, is listed as an “authoritarian regime [that] has become increasingly repressive in recent years. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to tighten control over all aspects of life and governance, including the state bureaucracy, the media, online speech, religious practice, universities, businesses, and civil society associations, and it has undermined an earlier series of modest rule-of-law reforms.”
BACKGROUND:
- China threatened “resolute and strong measures” against Taiwan upon news of Pelosi’s travels, and has since increased its military drills “to prepare for the invasion of Taiwan,” according to Fox News.
- Ahead of Pelosi’s visit, John Kirby, the National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, claimed, “We do not support Taiwan independence.”
- Nancy Pelosi’s son, Paul Jr., also attended various meetings with his mother during her travels, possibly to gather business inquiries as the president of EVSX, a battery recycling company for electric vehicles.
