The DEATH of democracy: As Xi Jinping declares 'change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years', expert explains how inept Western leaders

[Nan Yang]

EXCLUSIVE - The DEATH of democracy: As Xi Jinping declares 'change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years', expert explains how inept Western leaders are paving the way for autocrats to take over the world by failing to tackle domestic issues​

• Democracy is in a fight with autocracy for control of the future, author warns
• Charles Dunst says it is in danger of losing unless it rapidly gets its act together

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 03:45 EDT, 22 March 2023 | UPDATED: 07:07 EDT, 22 March 2023

Taiwan has fallen to China. The war lasted years, cost tens of thousands of lives, and ruined the economy - but that was a cost Xi Jinping was willing to pay to write his name into history.

America fought back, but despite having the superior military there was simply too much political division at home and amongst its allies to put up a proper defence.

Beijing's iron will won the day, and the world has taken note. Autocracy has triumphed over democracy. The war of ideals has been lost.

In his new book, expert Charles Dunst warns that democracy is now in a fight with autocracy for control of the future. Pictured: China's president Xi Jinping (left) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (right) share a toast during their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday

It is Xi's world now. We just live in it.

That is the apocalyptic vision put forward by expert Charles Dunst in his new book Defeating the Dictators as he warns that democracy is now in a fight with autocracy for control of the future, and is in danger of losing unless it rapidly gets its act together.

But victory will not belong to whoever has the biggest army, he argues. It will be won by whoever can prove their system works best.

In his doomsday vision, America loses to China not because it lacks weapons - but because it lacks conviction in its own way of life.

The author's warning comes as China's President Xi Jinping delivered a chilling warning to the West, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that 'change is coming' in an ominous parting message as he left Moscow on Wednesday night.

Xi met Putin at the Kremlin amid Russia's on-going invasion of Ukraine. The pair signed a series of memorandums and agreements designed to boost bilateral co-operation on a number of issues, and hailed a 'new era' in their relationship.

In February 2022, the pair announced they had forged a 'no limits' friendship and Putin invited Xi to visit the Russian capital. They have since publicly talked of strengthening their 'special relationship', with Moscow and Beijing both rejecting what they say are US attempts to create a 'unipolar world' controlled by Washington.

The meeting between the autocrats is the latest sign of a growing divide between the three superpowers - with China and Russia on one side, and the US on the other.

Mr Dunst, an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said: 'We've seen this kind of clash of ideals before during the Cold War. But the challenge we face today is more severe than it was against the Soviets.

'Nobody going to Moscow in the 1980s came home and thought "I want my city to be like that". But there is a danger of people going to the likes of China today and seeing their skyscrapers and their highways and coming home thinking that.

'That has weakened support for democracy around the world. The military is important, but our focus cannot only be on defence, it needs to be good governance - that is ultimately more important.

'How can we stand up for democracy abroad if it doesn't work for people at home?'

Looking around the world today, it is easy to see what he means. Two decades ago, democracy looked like the best system of governance because all the richest and most powerful countries, with the best living standards, used that system.

But in 2020, life expectancy in the UAE overtook that in the US for the first time. The same year, the World Economic Forum ranked Singapore - which has lived under a one-party system since 1959 - above the UK for social mobility.

China - which has outstripped the West in terms of economic growth for decades - now spends more on infrastructure each year than the US and Europe combined. It also pioneered the roll-out of technologies such as 5G.

Perhaps that helps to explain why The Economist's yearly 'democracy index' on the strength of the system worldwide has seen a decline every year since 2015.

The largest fall on record came between 2020 and 2021 to hit an all-time low since the index was first published in 2006, and it has stagnated since then.

Dissatisfaction is growing in democratic societies. Pictured: Railway workers on strike in Britain on March 18

Nurses demonstrate outside North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, last year

While the index's authors blame Covid and draconian policies brought in to tackle the virus, Mr Dunst believes the rot set in far earlier and will take far longer to fix.

'When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 there was a perception that democracy had won,' he said. 'We got complacent and we took our foot off the gas.

'We felt we would never have to face off against a rich autocracy because as everyone got richer they would become more friendly to the West.

'Well, that hasn't happened. As China has shown, when autocrats get rich what actually happens is they turn around and say: "Why should we be listening to you?"'

And waiting for modern autocracies to fall apart just as the Soviet Union did is not the answer either, Mr Dunst argues.

Of course, there is always a chance that a country ruled by a virtual dictator could implode. A world in which one man makes all the decisions is vulnerable if those decisions are bad. Just look at the current state of Putin's Russia.

But modern dictators are savvy to the mistakes of the past, and eager not to repeat them. It was Xi Jinping - not Vladimir Putin - who first described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the biggest geopolitical tragedy of modern times.

That perhaps helps to explain why he dropped his draconian zero-Covid policy so quickly when mass protests broke out earlier this year. Xi knows that even his regime cannot survive long without the support of at least some of its people.

Or, as Mr Dunst puts it: 'Autocracies wager that people would rather live comfortably and without freedom than deal with a messy democracy.'

So, how do we save democracy? 'By making democracy work better at home,' Mr Dunst argues. 'By setting an example so people want to be more like us.'

That means a return to basics: investing in infrastructure so our trains run on time and our highways aren't clogged with traffic; making sure our schools promote those with the most talent and not just the best connections; making sure criminals, no matter how powerful, are properly punished by the courts.

'Fixing the NHS and getting rid of the cost of living crisis are just as important as foreign policy,' he argues.

Most of his ideas are unlikely to meet opposition. It is hard to imagine anyone wanting broken roads, huge wait-times for a doctor's appointment, or crooked courts. But others will not be so popular. Immigration, for example.

The West needs more immigrants, he argues, because declining birth rates mean we are headed for economic disaster if we cannot find some way to boost our population.

But it is hard to imagine any politician running for election in either the US or UK on a promise to bring in more immigrants, or people voting en-masse for such a policy.

Nonetheless, Mr Dunst believes there is support on both sides of the Atlantic for most of his agenda.

He added: 'I wanted to think about things that could actually get done… and to use the book as a roadmap. Even in the US, the Left and Right agree that making more of our own semiconductor chips' - the kind used in most high-tech devices, and now mostly produced in Taiwan - 'is sensible.'

China has not yet launched a war for control of Taiwan, and a future in which it decides to do so is far from certain, particularly after Putin's invasion of Ukraine backfired so spectacularly.

But if the West fails to get its own house in order, then the Chinese way of doing things will get progressively more attractive.

It may even be that Xi doesn't have to wage a war at all, and can simply afford to sit and wait while the world comes around to his way of thinking.

The author's warning comes as China's President Xi Jinping delivered a chilling warning to the West, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that 'change is coming'

As Mr Dunst writes: 'The future has not yet been written. China, Russia and their partners do not yet rule the world.

'More power may still reside in Washington, but there is no guarantee that this will be true tomorrow… It's all the better if Beijing can simply beat us by improving its governance and expanding Chinese influence while we remain complacent and then decay.

'If democracies are to retain their way of life… we will need to defeat the dictators both at home and abroad. To do so… we must deliver on the promise that our system offers.'

 

[OIO]

EXCLUSIVE - The DEATH of democracy: As Xi Jinping declares 'change is coming that hasn't happened in 100 years', expert explains how inept Western leaders are paving the way for autocrats to take over the world by failing to tackle domestic issues​

• Democracy is in a fight with autocracy for control of the future, author warns
• Charles Dunst says it is in danger of losing unless it rapidly gets its act together

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 03:45 EDT, 22 March 2023 | UPDATED: 07:07 EDT, 22 March 2023

Taiwan has fallen to China. The war lasted years, cost tens of thousands of lives, and ruined the economy - but that was a cost Xi Jinping was willing to pay to write his name into history.

America fought back, but despite having the superior military there was simply too much political division at home and amongst its allies to put up a proper defence.

Beijing's iron will won the day, and the world has taken note. Autocracy has triumphed over democracy. The war of ideals has been lost.

In his new book, expert Charles Dunst warns that democracy is now in a fight with autocracy for control of the future. Pictured: China's president Xi Jinping (left) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (right) share a toast during their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday

It is Xi's world now. We just live in it.

That is the apocalyptic vision put forward by expert Charles Dunst in his new book Defeating the Dictators as he warns that democracy is now in a fight with autocracy for control of the future, and is in danger of losing unless it rapidly gets its act together.

But victory will not belong to whoever has the biggest army, he argues. It will be won by whoever can prove their system works best.

In his doomsday vision, America loses to China not because it lacks weapons - but because it lacks conviction in its own way of life.

The author's warning comes as China's President Xi Jinping delivered a chilling warning to the West, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that 'change is coming' in an ominous parting message as he left Moscow on Wednesday night.

Xi met Putin at the Kremlin amid Russia's on-going invasion of Ukraine. The pair signed a series of memorandums and agreements designed to boost bilateral co-operation on a number of issues, and hailed a 'new era' in their relationship.

In February 2022, the pair announced they had forged a 'no limits' friendship and Putin invited Xi to visit the Russian capital. They have since publicly talked of strengthening their 'special relationship', with Moscow and Beijing both rejecting what they say are US attempts to create a 'unipolar world' controlled by Washington.

The meeting between the autocrats is the latest sign of a growing divide between the three superpowers - with China and Russia on one side, and the US on the other.

Mr Dunst, an adjunct fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said: 'We've seen this kind of clash of ideals before during the Cold War. But the challenge we face today is more severe than it was against the Soviets.

'Nobody going to Moscow in the 1980s came home and thought "I want my city to be like that". But there is a danger of people going to the likes of China today and seeing their skyscrapers and their highways and coming home thinking that.

'That has weakened support for democracy around the world. The military is important, but our focus cannot only be on defence, it needs to be good governance - that is ultimately more important.

'How can we stand up for democracy abroad if it doesn't work for people at home?'

Looking around the world today, it is easy to see what he means. Two decades ago, democracy looked like the best system of governance because all the richest and most powerful countries, with the best living standards, used that system.

But in 2020, life expectancy in the UAE overtook that in the US for the first time. The same year, the World Economic Forum ranked Singapore - which has lived under a one-party system since 1959 - above the UK for social mobility.

China - which has outstripped the West in terms of economic growth for decades - now spends more on infrastructure each year than the US and Europe combined. It also pioneered the roll-out of technologies such as 5G.

Perhaps that helps to explain why The Economist's yearly 'democracy index' on the strength of the system worldwide has seen a decline every year since 2015.

The largest fall on record came between 2020 and 2021 to hit an all-time low since the index was first published in 2006, and it has stagnated since then.

Dissatisfaction is growing in democratic societies. Pictured: Railway workers on strike in Britain on March 18

Nurses demonstrate outside North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, last year

While the index's authors blame Covid and draconian policies brought in to tackle the virus, Mr Dunst believes the rot set in far earlier and will take far longer to fix.

'When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 there was a perception that democracy had won,' he said. 'We got complacent and we took our foot off the gas.

'We felt we would never have to face off against a rich autocracy because as everyone got richer they would become more friendly to the West.

'Well, that hasn't happened. As China has shown, when autocrats get rich what actually happens is they turn around and say: "Why should we be listening to you?"'

And waiting for modern autocracies to fall apart just as the Soviet Union did is not the answer either, Mr Dunst argues.

Of course, there is always a chance that a country ruled by a virtual dictator could implode. A world in which one man makes all the decisions is vulnerable if those decisions are bad. Just look at the current state of Putin's Russia.

But modern dictators are savvy to the mistakes of the past, and eager not to repeat them. It was Xi Jinping - not Vladimir Putin - who first described the collapse of the Soviet Union as the biggest geopolitical tragedy of modern times.

That perhaps helps to explain why he dropped his draconian zero-Covid policy so quickly when mass protests broke out earlier this year. Xi knows that even his regime cannot survive long without the support of at least some of its people.

Or, as Mr Dunst puts it: 'Autocracies wager that people would rather live comfortably and without freedom than deal with a messy democracy.'

So, how do we save democracy? 'By making democracy work better at home,' Mr Dunst argues. 'By setting an example so people want to be more like us.'

That means a return to basics: investing in infrastructure so our trains run on time and our highways aren't clogged with traffic; making sure our schools promote those with the most talent and not just the best connections; making sure criminals, no matter how powerful, are properly punished by the courts.

'Fixing the NHS and getting rid of the cost of living crisis are just as important as foreign policy,' he argues.

Most of his ideas are unlikely to meet opposition. It is hard to imagine anyone wanting broken roads, huge wait-times for a doctor's appointment, or crooked courts. But others will not be so popular. Immigration, for example.

The West needs more immigrants, he argues, because declining birth rates mean we are headed for economic disaster if we cannot find some way to boost our population.

But it is hard to imagine any politician running for election in either the US or UK on a promise to bring in more immigrants, or people voting en-masse for such a policy.

Nonetheless, Mr Dunst believes there is support on both sides of the Atlantic for most of his agenda.

He added: 'I wanted to think about things that could actually get done… and to use the book as a roadmap. Even in the US, the Left and Right agree that making more of our own semiconductor chips' - the kind used in most high-tech devices, and now mostly produced in Taiwan - 'is sensible.'

China has not yet launched a war for control of Taiwan, and a future in which it decides to do so is far from certain, particularly after Putin's invasion of Ukraine backfired so spectacularly.

But if the West fails to get its own house in order, then the Chinese way of doing things will get progressively more attractive.

It may even be that Xi doesn't have to wage a war at all, and can simply afford to sit and wait while the world comes around to his way of thinking.

The author's warning comes as China's President Xi Jinping delivered a chilling warning to the West, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that 'change is coming'

As Mr Dunst writes: 'The future has not yet been written. China, Russia and their partners do not yet rule the world.

'More power may still reside in Washington, but there is no guarantee that this will be true tomorrow… It's all the better if Beijing can simply beat us by improving its governance and expanding Chinese influence while we remain complacent and then decay.

'If democracies are to retain their way of life… we will need to defeat the dictators both at home and abroad. To do so… we must deliver on the promise that our system offers.'

The Western system was built on technological superiority and colonialism.

 

[Yaoudelizard]

Democracy has already died when the west let capital take control of politics.

 

[JSCh]

The author's warning comes as China's President Xi Jinping delivered a chilling warning to the West, telling his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that 'change is coming' in an ominous parting message as he left Moscow on Wednesday night.

This guy is actually quoting take from none other than the Dailymail !!

This is the TASS article on the topics,
=========================================
20 MAR, 10:17
Multipolar scope, globalization turn into irreversible global trends, says Xi Jinping

The Chinese leader noted that today the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century
MOSCOW/BEIJING, March 20. /TASS/. Economic globalization, multipolarity and democratization of international relations should be viewed as an irreversible trend, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in an interview with Russia’s Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily.

"The world today is going through profound changes unseen in a century. The historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation is unstoppable. The prevailing trends of world multi-polarity, economic globalization and greater democracy in international relations are irreversible.".
=========================================
Also, Xi has talk about this changes since more that 5 years ago, google "profound changes unseen in a century", and you would find books and article on the topic. Most Chinese would have heard about this idea multiple times from years ago.

I think what it means is China firmly believe that US/West push to extend its grasp on hegemony and monopoly is against the interest of the world and majority of its inhibitant and it is doom to fail.

This is based on observing the global/regional history of the cycle of change between the have and have not, and it is unstoppable.

 

[beijingwalker]

End of centuries old western global domination

 

[StraightEdge]

Lumping everything together under terms like Democracy and Autocracy is childish. Just look at US - technically you have to follow either 1 of 2 parties. There is absolutely no other alternate path. Both parties controlled by the big businesses though 'legal donations'. Businesses spent tons in lobbying, apparently this is close to $4 billion they spent on lobbying every year. How is that 'democracy' ?

In India, just posters against Modi is enough to have police FIR against you.
Delhi Police Arrests Six Over Posters Against PM Modi, More Than 100 FIRs Filed | India News | Zee News

In France, about 80% oppose the recent pension reform changes, yet there is so much violence, protests etc., Govt not willing to listen to people.
What’s driving the social crisis in France (socialeurope.eu)

Less we talk about UK/Israel democracy, it's better. UK can't find a PM who can run a govt for 5 years.

 

[beijingwalker]

Xi Jinping and 'dear friend' Putin agree that 'change is coming' in final exchange in Moscow​

 

[OIO]

Lumping everything together under terms like Democracy and Autocracy is childish. Just look at US - technically you have to follow either 1 of 2 parties. There is absolutely no other alternate path. Both parties controlled by the big businesses though 'legal donations'. Businesses spent tons in lobbying, apparently this is close to $4 billion they spent on lobbying every year. How is that 'democracy' ?

In India, just posters against Modi is enough to have police FIR against you.
Delhi Police Arrests Six Over Posters Against PM Modi, More Than 100 FIRs Filed | India News | Zee News

In France, about 80% oppose the recent pension reform changes, yet there is so much violence, protests etc., Govt not willing to listen to people.
What’s driving the social crisis in France (socialeurope.eu)

Less we talk about UK/Israel democracy, it's better. UK can't find a PM who can run a govt for 5 years.

Without technological superiority and colonialism, the West cannot maintain its current standard of living, and Macron has done nothing wrong to delay retirement, it is to face reality.

It would be worse if France lost control of West African countries, and should distance itself from NATO over Ukraine.

 

[chinasun]

Western electoral democracy is to choose the master. Not real democracy.

While the U.S. is dragging some of its so-called "values allies" to hold the Summit for Democracy, the world is increasingly troubled by questions such as "what is democracy and who has the right to define it "?

Democracy, ultimately, is whether the people can truly be the masters of their own country. The whole process of people's democracy created by the Communist Party of China(CPC) has secured extraordinary historical achievements on behalf of its people.

This year marks the 100th birthday of the CPC. Over the past century, the Party has led the people in realizing people’s democracy in China. The Chinese people now are truly the masters of their country, their society and their own destiny.

Long before China’s victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Mao Zedong said that China had found a new path when he was confronted with the question of whether China could break out of  “the law of historical cycle”. This new road is democracy.

From the “bean election” (people voted for their ideal candidates by casting beans as ballots) in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to the voting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, from the establishment of the “three-three system” principle during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to that of a socialist state system, after more than 70 years of arduous exploration, China has formed a complete set of socialist democratic political systems that are appropriate and effective for itself.

Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party Central Committee has put forward the major concept of whole-process people's democracy and vigorously promoted it, further transforming the relevant democratic values into effective institutional arrangements as well as concrete and realistic democratic practices.

Whole-process people’s democracy includes democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight. It integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is true and high quality democracy that works.

But what happens in some western countries are quite on the contrary. If the people are awakened only to cast a vote but become dormant afterwards, that is no true democracy. If the people are offered great hopes during electoral campaigning but have no say afterwards, that is no true democracy. If the people are offered fulsome promises during electoral canvassing but are left empty-handed afterwards, that is no true democracy.

Take an example of the community-level election in China. According to the Constitution, all citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote and to be elected, except for those who are deprived of their political rights in accordance with law. Currently, China is conducting general elections for the people's congresses at the township and county levels, with more than 1 billion voters participating in the elections. These elections at the grassroots level are the most extensive and vivid practices of whole-process people's democracy, and also the largest elections in the world. Since the reform and opening up, China has conducted 12 direct elections to people’s congresses at the township level and 11 direct elections at the county level. The voter participation rate has remained as high as around 90%. In addition, all these  elections are funded by the state treasury, which effectively ensures that money cannot get its hands on the elections.

Transparent decision-making by the government is widely practiced in China. Governments at all levels hear the opinions and suggestions of all sectors of society on major decisions, especially those directly concerned, at all stages including the initiation of decision-making, research and development, public announcement of draft decisions, finalization of decisions, and post-assessment. It ensures that the people's wishes and voices can be translated into major decisions bye the Party and the government.

During the drafting stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan, General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired a number of seminars with representatives and experts in various fields, to hear their opinions and suggestions. More than 1,000 suggestions were collated from a pool of some one million online messages. The drafting group analyzed them item by item, took them all into consideration, and accepted all pertinent suggestions.

Democracy is not a one-size-fits-all product that has only one model or configuration for the whole world. Whether a country is democratic or not should only be judged by its own people. According to a research report titled Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time released by Harvard University, the Chinese government enjoys the highest rate of satisfaction in the past two decades, and the Chinese people’s overall satisfaction towards the Central Government exceeds 93%. This is the truest reflection of the strong vitality of Chinese democracy.

There is no best democracy, only better. China never exports a democratic model. We believe that every country has the right to choose a democratic system that suits its own national conditions. History has repeatedly proved that it is not feasible for China to copy the political systems of other countries, since those systems are not suited to our national conditions. Any attempt like this would at best lead to poor imitation, and might even ruin the country’s future. The most reliable and effective systems for a country are always the ones that take root in and draw abundant nutrients from their own soil.

In the meantime, we should adopt an attitude of inclusiveness, learn from the strengths of others , digest and absorb them in the light of China’s national conditions, so that we can turn them into our own strength, better ensuring that the Chinese people are the true masters of the country.

Whole-process People’s Democracy Is A High Quality Democracy

 

[AViet]

Western electoral democracy is to choose the master. Not real democracy.

While the U.S. is dragging some of its so-called "values allies" to hold the Summit for Democracy, the world is increasingly troubled by questions such as "what is democracy and who has the right to define it "?

Democracy, ultimately, is whether the people can truly be the masters of their own country. The whole process of people's democracy created by the Communist Party of China(CPC) has secured extraordinary historical achievements on behalf of its people.

This year marks the 100th birthday of the CPC. Over the past century, the Party has led the people in realizing people’s democracy in China. The Chinese people now are truly the masters of their country, their society and their own destiny.

Long before China’s victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Mao Zedong said that China had found a new path when he was confronted with the question of whether China could break out of  “the law of historical cycle”. This new road is democracy.

From the “bean election” (people voted for their ideal candidates by casting beans as ballots) in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to the voting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, from the establishment of the “three-three system” principle during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression to that of a socialist state system, after more than 70 years of arduous exploration, China has formed a complete set of socialist democratic political systems that are appropriate and effective for itself.

Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the Party Central Committee has put forward the major concept of whole-process people's democracy and vigorously promoted it, further transforming the relevant democratic values into effective institutional arrangements as well as concrete and realistic democratic practices.

Whole-process people’s democracy includes democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight. It integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is true and high quality democracy that works.

But what happens in some western countries are quite on the contrary. If the people are awakened only to cast a vote but become dormant afterwards, that is no true democracy. If the people are offered great hopes during electoral campaigning but have no say afterwards, that is no true democracy. If the people are offered fulsome promises during electoral canvassing but are left empty-handed afterwards, that is no true democracy.

Take an example of the community-level election in China. According to the Constitution, all citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote and to be elected, except for those who are deprived of their political rights in accordance with law. Currently, China is conducting general elections for the people's congresses at the township and county levels, with more than 1 billion voters participating in the elections. These elections at the grassroots level are the most extensive and vivid practices of whole-process people's democracy, and also the largest elections in the world. Since the reform and opening up, China has conducted 12 direct elections to people’s congresses at the township level and 11 direct elections at the county level. The voter participation rate has remained as high as around 90%. In addition, all these  elections are funded by the state treasury, which effectively ensures that money cannot get its hands on the elections.

Transparent decision-making by the government is widely practiced in China. Governments at all levels hear the opinions and suggestions of all sectors of society on major decisions, especially those directly concerned, at all stages including the initiation of decision-making, research and development, public announcement of draft decisions, finalization of decisions, and post-assessment. It ensures that the people's wishes and voices can be translated into major decisions bye the Party and the government.

During the drafting stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan, General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired a number of seminars with representatives and experts in various fields, to hear their opinions and suggestions. More than 1,000 suggestions were collated from a pool of some one million online messages. The drafting group analyzed them item by item, took them all into consideration, and accepted all pertinent suggestions.

Democracy is not a one-size-fits-all product that has only one model or configuration for the whole world. Whether a country is democratic or not should only be judged by its own people. According to a research report titled Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time released by Harvard University, the Chinese government enjoys the highest rate of satisfaction in the past two decades, and the Chinese people’s overall satisfaction towards the Central Government exceeds 93%. This is the truest reflection of the strong vitality of Chinese democracy.

There is no best democracy, only better. China never exports a democratic model. We believe that every country has the right to choose a democratic system that suits its own national conditions. History has repeatedly proved that it is not feasible for China to copy the political systems of other countries, since those systems are not suited to our national conditions. Any attempt like this would at best lead to poor imitation, and might even ruin the country’s future. The most reliable and effective systems for a country are always the ones that take root in and draw abundant nutrients from their own soil.

In the meantime, we should adopt an attitude of inclusiveness, learn from the strengths of others , digest and absorb them in the light of China’s national conditions, so that we can turn them into our own strength, better ensuring that the Chinese people are the true masters of the country.

Whole-process People’s Democracy Is A High Quality Democracy

While i do agree that communism has made tremendous achivements in China and to lesser extent, in Vietnam, and for the time being, the system, whatever being called, is superior than Western style democracy, we should all agree upon a premise that no system last forever. While the US, or its independent states, may become kind of communist in future, China as well may become kind of democracy. But those communism or democracy may have little in common with the current forms.

 

[chinasun]

While i do agree that communism has made tremendous achivements in China and to lesser extent, in Vietnam, and for the time being, the system, whatever being called, is superior than Western style democracy, we should all agree upon a premise that no system last forever. While the US, or its independent states, may become kind of communist in future, China as well may become kind of democracy. But those communism or democracy may have little in common with the current forms.

A cat that catches mice is a good cat! Every country chooses the most suitable system according to its own culture and reality. The Chinese middle class has risen and will promote the continuous progress of Chinese democracy. But not Western electoral democracies.In the past 10 years, China's policies have undergone some major changes, and behind each change, there is the power of the Chinese middle class.

 

[hembo]