CPC official voices confidence in China's democracy

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Communist Party of China (CPC) official on Thursday expressed confidence in the country's democracy and dismissed concerns that its system is challenging the democratic systems in the West.

China's democracy has proven to be successful since it has contributed to the country's cause of bringing economic and social development to the world's one-fifth population, raising their living standards and providing opportunities to the development and people's wellbeing across the world, said Liu Jianchao, deputy director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, at a press conference.

In response to a question at the press conference on the release of a key publication titled "The CPC: Its Mission and Contributions," Liu noted that it was wrong and harmful for the U.S. side to define the China-U.S. relations as a rivalry of Chinese and Western systems.

"There should not be only one model of democracy in the world," Liu said. "A country's democratic system should be based on its reality, historical and cultural traditions as well as its people's will. It is against the principle of democracy that one country wants to impose its democratic model on others."

The CPC's leadership and the socialist system in China, including the country's democratic system, are historical choices made by Chinese people, he added.

"Chinese people work for, benefit from and safeguard the socialism with Chinese characteristics. The people highly identify with and support our democracy, and have full confidence in our own system," Liu said.