Statement by Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in New Zealand on Issues of Democracy

2021-12-07 13:37

The United States will hold a so-called “Leaders’ Summit for Democracy” on December 9 to 10. The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand expounds Chinese viewpoints on the issues of democracy.

Ⅰ. What are the Standards of Democracy?

Democracy is a concept that is constantly evolving. It takes diverse forms based on different history and culture. Democracy is not a decorative ornament, but an instrument for addressing the issues that concern the people.

The best way to evaluate whether a country's political system is democratic is to observe whether the succession of its leaders is orderly and in line with the law, whether all the people can manage state and social affairs and economic and cultural undertakings in conformity with legal provisions, whether the public can express their requirements without hindrance, whether all sectors can efficiently participate in the country's political affairs, whether national decision-making can be conducted in a rational and democratic way, whether people of high caliber in all fields can be part of the national leadership and administrative systems through fair competition, whether the governing party is in charge of state affairs in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and whether the exercise of power can be kept under effective restraint and supervision.

Whether a country is democratic depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country; whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to broad participation extensively; whether they have been given verbal promises in elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are fulfilled after elections; whether there are set political procedures and rules in state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public scrutiny and checks. If the people of a country are only called upon to vote and then are forgotten once they have cast their votes; if the people only hear high-sounding promises during an election campaign but have no say whatsoever afterwards; or if they are wooed when their votes are wanted but are ignored once the election is over, then such a democracy is not a true democracy.

Democracy is a common value of humanity and a right that all people around the world should enjoy, not a privilege reserved to a small minority of countries. Whether a country is democratic or not should be judged by its own people, not by a handful of people from outside.The standards of democracy are whether it meets people's needs and whether people feel adequately engaged, satisfied and benefited. Whether a member of the international community is democratic or not should be judged together by the international community, not by a self-righteous minority. There are many ways to achieve democracy, and there is no one-size-fits-all model. No country has any right to monopoly the standards of democracy, or even to impose its own system on other countries.

II. What constitute China’s Democratic System?

This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the 100 years, China has never stopped its efforts to pursue and advance democracy. In contemporary China, the system of the people’s congress, the system of CPC-led multiparty cooperation and political consultation, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the system of community-level self-governance form up the complete and close-knit socialist democratic political system with Chinese characteristics, featuring the people’s status as masters of the country in the whole process of political life. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, “We are following a path of political development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it’s a whole-process people’s democracy”.

The Chinese Constitution stipulates that the National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at all levels are democratically elected, responsible to the people and subject to their supervision. The administrative, supervisory, judicial, and procuratorial organs at all various levels are all created by the people’s congresses, to which they are responsible and by which they are supervised. The Constitution also makes detailed institutional arrangements for the people’s congresses at the national and various local levels in terms of deputies, composition, term of office, terms of reference, permanent organs and various other aspects. The people’s congress features the people’s status as masters of the country in its every aspect. It serves as the fundamental political system, as it lays the foundation and charts the clear direction for the establishment of other political systems.

By way of democratic consultations through democratic consultation meetings and bi-weekly consultation forums,the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under CPC leadership enables democratic parties to participate in the formulation and implementation of major state guidelines, policies, laws and regulations, as well as negotiations of major national political issues and the selection of leaders of state institutions. Thus, democratic parties participate in the whole-process management of state affairs and supervise the work of the CPC and the state agencies under its leadership. This system defines the cooperative relationship between the CPC as the governing party and the democratic parties as its advisors and assistants, and the principles, premises, guidelines and norms of the cooperation, creating a political party system and consultative democracy with unique Chinese characteristics 

The system of regional ethnic autonomy is such that areas with large ethnic minority populations can practice regional autonomy, establish autonomous organs, and exercise the power of self-government under the unified leadership of the state. Territorial integrity and national unification are preconditions and foundations for regional ethnic autonomy, which combines unification with autonomy and ethnic factors with regional factors, and are thoroughly suited to China's realities. Regional ethnic autonomy provides institutional and policy guarantees to ensure that ethnic minority citizens enjoy rights to equality and freedom, and to economic, social and cultural services. It is an innovative democratic system practice for modern countries to deal with ethnic relations, and constitutes an important part of China’s whole-process people’s democracy.

The system of community-level self-governance is such that urban and rural residents form up committees in accordance with the Constitution and the law for self-management, self-education, self-service, and self-supervision. It enables the people to directly participate in all kinds of management and decision-making related to their immediate interests. In this process, they have the opportunity to fully exercise their democratic rights and express their reasonable demands. 

The Whole-process people’s democracy is a comprehensive and coordinated system involving extensive and regular participation, ensuring that the people’s voices are heard and their wishes are represented in every aspect of China’s political and social life. 

III. What are the characteristics of the whole-process people's democracy in China?

The founding of the People's Republic of China ushered in a new era for China’s democracy. Steady and historic progress has been made ever since. In particular, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has deepened the knowledge on the laws of democracy, and proposed the important concept of “whole-process people’s democracy,” a major innovation on the people’s democratic system. Whole-process people's democracy has distinctive Chinese characteristics; it also exemplifies common values of humanity and contributes China's ideas and solutions to the political progress of humanity.

The whole-process people's democracy follows the people-centered philosophy of development. It integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people's democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works. The whole-process people's democracy of China is a distinctive feature that distinguishes socialist democratic politics with Chinese characteristics from all kinds of bourgeois democracy in Western countries.

Whole-process people's democracy in China is a complete system with supporting mechanisms and procedures, and has been fully tested through wide participation. China's whole-process people's democracy is a combination of electoral democracy and consultative democracy, and is applied through a combination of elections, consultations, decision-making, management and oversight. It covers the economic, political, cultural, social, eco-environmental and other fields, with a focus on national development, social governance and people's lives. Whole-process people's democracy ensures that the people's voices are heard and their wishes are represented in every aspect of China's political and social life. It leaves no room for politicians to shower promises while campaigning and break them all once elected.

In essence, democracy needs to be in touch with the people. It needs to keep in mind what policies people want; what their needs are; and how to make their lives better. Both history and reality have fully proved that for democracy to succeed in a country, it must take deep roots in that country, and make its own people happy and satisfied. China’s model of democracy fits in well with its national conditions. It enjoys the support of the people. It is real, effective, and successful democracy. China is indeed a true democratic country. 

IV. Can democracy be imposed on other countries?

Democracy is a shared value of humanity rather than a political slogan; still less should it be used by some countries as a political tool to advance their global strategies and geopolitical interests and bring down others. This in itself is the greatest damage to democratic values. There has been no shortage of wars and turmoil worldwide to prove that spreading ‘democracy’, one’s political system, and values against other countries’ will have severely undermined regional and international peace, security, and stability. The act of interfering in the internal affairs, violating the sovereignty of other countries, and provoking division and confrontation in the name of democracy to serve its own political purposes is despicable and should be discarded and opposed.

In fact, democracy is not the prerogative of a certain country. Democracy is rich in form, and there are many ways to achieve it. Every country can choose its own political system and development path to democracy according to its own national conditions. One Person, One Vote is a democratic principle, but it is by no means the only principle, nor does it of itself create democracy. Discussions on practicing democratic values should be colorful and inclusive; therefore, no country has the right to monopolize the definition and judgment of democracy. Assessing the myriad political systems in the world against a single yardstick and examining diverse political structures in monochrome are “dictatorship in ideology” and in themselves undemocratic. All countries should uphold the principle of nondiscrimination, respect others' models of democracy, share experience with others, explore their own paths, and contribute their due share to human progress. 

Faced with an array of global challenges, the world needs solidarity, rather than division; cooperation, rather than confrontation. Countries should focus on running their own affairs well, not condescendingly criticizing others on democracy. Countries, with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures, and development levels, should practice mutual respect and win-win cooperation in international relations, work for harmonious coexistence, come together for shared interests, shared rights, and shared responsibilities in global affairs, create the greatest synergy for building a better world, and truly promote democracy in international relations.