International Department of the CPC Central Committee       BEIJING REVIEW
Special Issue on Whole-Process People’s Democracy       MONTHLY
Experts: Whole-Process People’s Democracy Is High-Quality Democracy
 

● Yukteshwar Kumar 

Deputy Mayor of Bath in the United Kingdom visited the rural area of China’s Hunan Province and witnessed first-hand the Chinese people’s participation in local governance.  

He said that during the visit, many farmers who suffered poverty told him that, in the past, poverty elimination policies covered many people but was not well-targeted, so some of those stuck in extreme poverty didn’t get effective help; moreover, numerous poverty elimination projects did not suit local conditions very well. He added, with targeted poverty elimination policies, the village committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC) work with individuals and households to find their way out of poverty after inclusive discussions, setting a good example of community-level democracy.

● Néstor Restivo

Member of the China Research Group of Argentine Council for International Relations, holds that a socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics is closely connected with the CPC’s people-centered development philosophy. Restivo elaborated, “The Chinese people’s enthusiasm in participating in politics and their ability to take action amaze me. People are getting involved in the decision-making process, from legislation to compiling national economic and social development plans and to managing a residential neighborhood and organizing various tasks such as sorting waste.”

Restivo further noticed that, over 1 million suggestions were received during the compilation of the 14th Five-year Plan (2021- 25), and were later reflected in the document’s final version.

“Such achievements could only be made by combining democracy with the demand of meeting people’s needs. Here, the CPC’s will is aligned with the people’s wishes. Consequently, the people are fully mobilized.”

● Daryl Guppy 

Chairman of the Northern Territory branch of the Australia China Business Council, believes that from consultative democracy and multiparty cooperation to democracy at community level, China is broadening the channels for consultative democracy, pushing forward the system and the practice in all areas of people’s life.

He referred to China’s democracy as a procedural and result democracy, a democracy in form and in essence, a direct democracy and indirect democracy. It solves the problems people encounter, he noted.

● Dmitry Novikov, 

Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, explained that the path toward happiness is not identical for all so each country should have the right to choose the path and system that best suit it. “The right to determine whether a country is democratic or not lies in its people,” he said. “China puts its people first and its wholeprocess people’s democracy is a high-quality democracy.”

● Eduardo Roldán 

Former Director General at the Consulate General of Mexico in Hong Kong said, when it comes to events concerning people’s livelihoods, the participation of the public becomes a necessary part in the decision-making process.

“For example, during the drafting and passing of China’s Civil Code public suggestions were openly solicited no fewer than 10 times and over 425,000 people offered more than 1.02 million pieces of advice,” he said. “China’s National People’s Congress is doing its best to stand for the people’s interests and meet their needs.”

● Alexei Kovali 

Political commentator with Ukrainian newspaper Mirror Weekly, said China’s whole-process people’s democracy is an important modernization of socialist democracy and the CPC is taking people’s opinions into consideration, seeking professional suggestions, and looking to establish the broadest consensus.

“Before the annual legislative sessions each year, with the help of media outlets, the Chinese Government solicits public opinion from netizens nationwide. Through digital governance platforms, China is building a democracy that is flat and goes beyond the limit of time, space, and manpower.” 

● Evandro Carvalho 

A legal expert from Brazil, told Xinhua that China’s socialist democracy is “not only a democracy in form, but in substance.” Such a democracy is not limited to the democratic decision-making process, but also focuses on its outcome, said Carvalho, a former visiting scholar in China and law professor at Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation, an economic think tank.

Institutional arrangements for China’s democracy involve the procedural aspects and public participation, with the aim of finding solutions to the problems people face, Carvalho said.

“Unlike several Western democracies that are increasingly alienating the people from the political process and ignoring their needs, the Chinese government wants, with the use of technology, to listen more to its population and monitor the execution of measures to meet people’s needs,” he said.

“China is building a democracy with Chinese characteristics that involves more public participation and is more connected to the reality and interests of the people than many Western democracies.”

● Haruo Nishihara 

A renowned Japanese criminal law expert and former president of Waseda University, said among all others, the leadership of the CPC provides fundamental political guarantee for China’s wholeprocess people’s democracy.

“Because the CPC, from its inception, has considered the happiness of the Chinese people and the revival of the Chinese nation its goals , it is capable of leading the Chinese people to achieve national independence, raise comprehensive national strength and live a happy life,” he explained. “This feat could not have been accomplished without a democracy with Chinese characteristics.”

● Elias Jabbour 

Professor with the Rio de Janeiro State University, commented that the whole-process people’s democracy demonstrates a governance philosophy of multi-party participation and joint governance under the leadership of the CPC. It helps modernize overall social governance.

● Charles Onunaiju 

Director for Nigeria’s Center for China Studies, said there are two standards for real democracy, whether the people are satisfied and whether the people trust their government. He said, “China’s development achievements and its capability in handling risks are based on the people’s faith in their government. China has found a democracy that fits itself.”

● Laurence J. Brahm 

A senior international fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, a Chinese non-governmental think tank based in Beijing, said Chinese democracy is different from that in the West.

“It is a system of consensusbuilding. It is quiet and, in many ways, like Tai Chi,” concluded Brahm.

● Zlatko Lagumdzija 

Former Chairman of the Council of Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, believes that China’s democracy is a people-centered democracy that seeks human right protection through development.

He added, “The core principle of China’s model of democracy is to attain development by the people and for the people.”

● Danilo Türk 

Former President of Slovenia, said that whether absolute poverty has been eliminated or not serves as an important measurement for democracy. According to Türk, only through the elimination of absolute poverty can mankind achieve a higher degree of dignity. The concepts of democracy and human rights are intertwined with development and it would be unscientific to talk about democracy and human rights without including development. He mentioned that China has eliminated absolute poverty and successfully finished its building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. It excited him to see that China promised to leave no one behind in poverty alleviation, he said.

● Essam Sharaf 

Former Prime Minister of Egypt, explained that different from party politics in the West, China’s democracy is a real democracy of the people. He further stated that in formulating its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021- 25), China solicited suggestions from the whole society to guarantee its development would benefit all the Chinese people, manifesting a real example of China’s model of democracy.

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