China's democracy practice a new form of political civilization

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of years in the past witnessed human society's unceasing pursuit of democracy, a common value of humanity. A think tank report on China's approach to democracy now provides a perspective on Chinese people's exploration.

The report, issued on Tuesday, contains the logic of China's democratic practice of "the people running the country," its whole-process democracy, the touchstone for institutional effectiveness, as well as the enlightenment of pursuing the common values of humanity.

The West launched the process of modern democracy, but that does not mean the development of democracy will end with the Western model. The Western-centric yardstick of democracy should not be the only criterion for judging good or bad governance.

Through experience and participation, the Chinese people have come to the conclusion that there is only one criterion for democratic governance: ordinary people should enjoy the dividends of peace and development, and live peaceful and happy lives.

China has achieved rapid economic development and long-term social stability, eradicating absolute poverty and becoming one of the safest countries in the world. All of these achievements point to the fact that China's approach to democracy is broad, genuine and effective.

Based on the country's own reality, culture and history, the democracy China practices is a "whole-process democracy" that covers all aspects and procedures, such as elections, decision-making, administration and supervision, guaranteeing the running of the country by the people via a set of ever-improving systems, institutions and mechanisms. Socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics has demonstrated a new form of political civilization.

China's approach to sound governance features an advanced non-partisan party, a people-centered philosophy, and a development-focused worldview, according to the think tank report. This approach is particularly enlightening in the contemporary world, which is experiencing changes unseen in a century. Government failures in tackling major challenges such as the fight against COVID-19 in some developed countries are examples of malfunctioning democracies.

China's democracy is a people-centered democracy, rather than a capital-oriented model. It is centered on governance rather than elections. China's whole-process people's democracy is ever-progressing and increasingly vivid and vigorous, unlike the stagnant or even degenerating models in certain countries. It transcends "democracy for the few," "one-time democracy," and "pseudo-universal democracy," ensuring that the broad masses of the people enjoy democratic rights and democratic achievements.

As a faithful and innovative practitioner of democracy, freedom and human rights, China has boosted confidence in tackling challenges in these fields and in the governance deficit facing the world, and offered solutions to realizing the common values of humanity.