Taipei, December 11 (CNA) The government should cooperate with civil society groups to develop digital democracy to meet the various challenges facing the world today, said Tang Feng (Tang Feng) at the US-led Democracy Forum on Friday.

Tang stated in a panel discussion on the topic "Opposing Digital Authoritarianism and Affirming Democratic Values" that in the face of global challenges, digital democracy has proven to be the most effective solution.

She talked about how Taiwan implemented a SMS-based contact tracking system developed by citizen technicians to track the itinerary and contact details of people diagnosed with COVID-19.

Tang pointed out that contact trackers must apply for access to the data of COVID-19 patients through this citizen platform that values ​​the privacy of personal data.

In addition, Tang said, citizen technicians invented Airbox in 2015, which is a low-cost device that can be installed on a school or home balcony to monitor air quality.

Tang said the government adopted this idea and launched a plan the following year to build about 2,000 Airbox devices in Taiwan, and the number of these devices has now grown to tens of thousands.

In this case, "citizen science supplements the limited capabilities of our government," Tang said, emphasizing that this "people-public-private partnership" can shape digital democracy.

Tang's speech was broadcast on the second day of the two-day democracy summit, organized by the administration of US President Joe Biden, "aim to restore democracy at home and resist foreign autocracy."

A total of 110 delegations participated in the summit, including a Taiwan delegation led by Tang Jiaxuan.

According to the US State Department, the summit focused on three main themes-"opposing authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights."

China, which was not invited to the event, criticized the United States for organizing the summit on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “the United States has long imposed its own political system and values ​​on others,” interfering in the affairs of other countries and imposing unilateral sanctions in the name of defending democracy.

The spokesperson claimed that China has achieved the "most comprehensive and practical" form of socialist democracy that brings about national development and social progress.