CHINA-CCP: CHINA'S STATE COUNCIL RELEASES 54-PAGE WHITE PAPER ON DEMOCRACY
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China's State Council released its White Paper titled “On Chinese Democracy” on Democracy on December 4. 54 pages in length, the White Paper observed in its Preamble that "this year marks the centenary of the CPC. Since its founding in 1921, the Party has taken wellbeing for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its abiding goals, and has made continuous efforts to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country". It said that since the Opium War of 1840 "the Party has led the people in realizing people’s democracy in China. The Chinese people now truly hold in their hands their own future and that of society and the country". Asserting that "The people’s status as masters of the country is the essence of people’s democracy", it said "Whether a country is democratic depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country; whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate extensively; whether they have been given verbal promises in elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are fulfilled after elections; whether there are set political procedures and rules in state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced". It emphasised that "Whether a country is democratic should be judged by its people, not dictated by a handful of outsiders" and this should be "acknowledged by the international community, not arbitrarily decided by a few self-appointed judges", adding that "There is no fixed model of democracy". Stating that "In the richly diverse world, democracy comes in many forms", it said "China’s democracy is thriving alongside those of other countries in the garden of civilizations" and that "China stands ready to contribute its experience and strength to global political progress". The White Paper, which contained five mentions of Xi Jinping, concluded with the assertion "we will add new elements to the world’s political structure and advance towards a global community of shared future together".
(Comment: This White Paper on Democracy and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks, criticising the US for proposing the Summit for Democracy, reported by the China Daily on November 27, show that the US initiative has irked the CCP leadership. A Global Times (December 3) article reflected Beijing's ire by quoting Chang Jian, Director of the Research Center for Human Rights at Tianjin-based Nankai University, who said: "As the US becomes the world's only superpower, it has become self-inflated and arrogant, overconfident in its own democratic system, and exported the so-called American democracy to the world as a tool to maintain its hegemony." The People's Daily and Global Times published a number of articles on the topic.) |