They want to put on a back foot, put on the defensive, what they refer to as Western democracy

[GoodTaste]

Even so, the government is banking on its message finding an audience in some countries disillusioned by liberal democracy or by American-led criticism — whether in Latin America, Africa or Asia, including in China itself.
“They want to put on a back foot, put on the defensive, what they refer to as Western democracy,” said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political scientist at Hong Kong Baptist University.

Source: New York Times

Does the sentence "They want to put on a back foot, put on the defensive, what they refer to as Western democracy" mean "they want to put Western democracy (that's what they call it) in a position of disadvantage (and then Western democracy has to defend itself)"?

 

[teechar]

Roughly, yes.
Simplified a little:
They want to put (what they call) Western democracy in a defensive position.

 

[Tdol]

They want to suggest that the kind of democracy they associate with the West is not for everyone. Here's a list of the countries invited:

Summit for Democracy 2021: Invited Participants - United States Department of State

Summit for Democracy 2021: Invited Participants Albania Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Belgium Belize Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Cabo Verde Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of Congo Denmark Dominica...

www.state.gov