Commentary: East or West, serving people well is paramount

BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The "Summit for Democracy" co-hosted by the United States this year once again failed in its attempt to make Western style the model for all countries to extol and follow. It's a strong reminder that countries in the world value the actual results of governance much more than flashy ideological labels.

If there needs to be a criterion for good governance, the primary consideration must be actual benefits that a government brings to its people.

A government that prioritizes serving its people and improving their lives is undoubtedly a good government.

Politicians should be aware of the ultimate goal of governance, while being open-minded about differences in development paths.

Just as travellers may choose various roads to Rome, countries could choose various paths to prosperity. Compelling all countries to take only one path, such as that taken by some Western countries, is unwise.

In the past decades, attempts by the United States to force its model on other countries have failed miserably. Due to wars launched by the United States against Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan, to name just a few of the instances, lots of sufferings were inflicted upon people of the targeted countries and huge waves of refugees fled their countries to seek stable lives in other parts of the world.

It is hoped that U.S. politicians have learned their lesson and would stop their obsession with forcing ideological preferences and development models on other countries.

It hasn't worked in the past, and it won't work in the future.

U.S. democracy has lost its lustre as it fails to concentrate on improving the well-being of the general public, but keeps kowtowing to interest groups that funded expensive campaigns of public officials.

That's why gun violence remains a perennial problem, infrastructure lacks repair, and financial risks frequently occur in the United States.

Meanwhile, lots of countries have achieved rapid economic and social progress thanks to governance styles suited to their unique national conditions.

East or West, serving people well is paramount. It's time for the world to shelve arguments about governance styles and instead unite under the great banner of improving the well-being of humanity.

There's so much to be done. The world should waste no further time and resources on fighting over ideological differences.