By: James Kamara-Manneh
Some people, especially those in the west, may view China as a “non-democratic” state, or an “authoritarian” state. It has almost become “politically correct” for some western politicians to attack China over its political system which is different with theirs.
However, no country or individual has the right to judge the world’s vast and varied political landscape by a single yardstick. It is not even proper to impose standard for other countries to copy a political system through color revolution, regime change and even use of force.
Democracy is not a prerogative of a certain country or a group of countries, but a universal right of all peoples. It can be realized in multiple ways, and no model can fit all countries.
China is running a “socialist democracy” or “whole-process people’s democracy”, under which the Chinese people enjoy not only the right to democratically elect or be elected representatives to the people’s congresses but also enjoy the right to know, participate, express views on, and supervise the work of the people’s congresses and the governments. There are mechanisms, such as polling, consultation, hearing, official hot lines, official opinion boxes etc., to discern what people think about a proposed policy and to tap on the people’s wisdom.
China has set up other systems and institutions for the people to exercise democracy. These include the multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), grassroots self-governance, regional ethnic autonomy, and various other forms of governance.
A long-term Harvard University survey found that Chinese citizens’ satisfaction with the Party and the government has increased across the board, with the central government receiving a strong level of approval of 93 percent.
In today’s China, absolute poverty has become a thing of the past and the 1.4 billion Chinese people are striving towards common prosperity. China has become the world’s second largest economy and the biggest trading nation. Almost every Chinese has basic medical insurance and old-age pension insurance. Farmers in deep mountains and young people in big cities take high-speed trains to pursue their respective dreams. Chinese citizens get connected with the world for information at the click of a mouse. Such great achievements would not have been acquired had it not been for the practice of the whole-process people’s democracy, which pulls together the strength and wisdom of the whole nation and provides incentives and drives to the whole people.
Meanwhile, in purported modern “democratic” countries, the issue of war and political turmoil is evidential to the extent that ordinary citizens feel the pinch of suffering; reason being the implementation of the term can be misinterpreted and will severely undermine regional and international peace, security, and stability.
Countries in the world are faced with an array of global challenges and urgently need to strengthen coordination and cooperation for common progress, especially today when the international community needs to improve cooperation between all countries to counter the pandemic of COVID-19, foster economic development, and neutralize cross-border threats. China remains a true friend to Africa and the World at large!
Democracy is not just about domestic governance; it should also be reflected in international relations. A truly democratic government will support democratization of international relations. It will not foster hegemony and division abroad while building democracy and unity at home. The path to prosperity of nations goes through respectful cooperation with each other, despite some differences in views on particular issues.
China, a perfect resemblance of modern democracy has vouched not to provoke division or confrontation with other countries. It is on the path of fostering mutual respect and international cooperation creating harmonious coexistence among countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures, and development levels. I am convinced that China will remain committed to practicing its whole-process people’s democracy and make greater achievements