A democratic system that suits China

Making the people masters of the country is the main purpose of socialist democracy

Democracy, as a sign of human civilization and progress, is the common pursuit of humankind. People's will and national conditions play a large role in determining which type of political system is suitable for a country and what kind of democratic system it establishes. As for China, it is pursuing the path of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

In 1911, the revolution led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the autocratic monarchy that had ruled China for several thousand years. But once the old system was gone, where China would go became the question. The Chinese people then started exploring long and hard for a path that would suit China's national conditions. They experimented with constitutional monarchy, imperial restoration, parliamentarism, the multi-party system and presidential government, yet nothing really worked. Finally, China took on the path of socialism.

In the process of establishing socialism, China has had many achievements; it has also committed some mistakes and suffered setbacks. Thanks to the reform and opening-up launched more than 30 years ago, China has achieved unprecedented economic growth and established socialism with Chinese characteristics with special emphasis on building socialist democracy. Given the uniqueness of its cultural tradition, history and circumstances, China has to follow a path of democracy that suits its national conditions.

The key to adhering to the path of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics is to use the Communist Party of China's leadership to make the people masters of the country and establish the rule of law. Making the people masters of the country is the fundamental purpose of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics. And people's democracy cannot be practiced without the CPC's leadership.

The rule of law is the basic overall strategy of the Party in leading the people to supervise the state's affairs. The combination of CPC's leadership, rule of law and people's supervision is a basic feature of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics and distinguishes it from other political systems.

The democratic system in China has continuously improved over the years. Since adopting reform and opening-up policies, China has made unswerving efforts to deepen the reform of its economic and political systems in order to guarantee that the people can be the masters of the state. The building of political democracy with Chinese characteristics is progressing with vigor and vitality.

China's democracy is a people's democracy under the leadership of the Party, a democracy in which the overwhelming majority of the people act as masters of state affairs, a democracy with democratic centralism as the basic organizational principle and mode of operation.

In building socialist democracy, China has always adhered to the basic principle of combining the Marxist theory of democracy with the realities of China, assimilated the democratic elements of its traditional culture and institutional civilization, and borrowed from the achievements of other societies. This has not only made its national policy consistent and guaranteed long-term social stability, but also ensured that the people enjoy full freedom and rights. It also has fulfilled people's wishes and demands, and facilitated quick decisions on matters of concern, reflecting the unification of democracy and centralization, and fair division of labor and cooperation.

History tells us that no country can prosper by relying on outside forces and blindly following others. Western-style democracy may suit Western countries, but it cannot be "transplanted" to other countries.

The political upheavals in the Middle East, Thailand, Ukraine and some other countries have sounded the alarm for developing countries as far as democratic systems are concerned. Therefore, if China adheres to the development path it has chosen, it can establish it as a successful institutional system different from those followed by Western countries.

People's democracy is the life of socialism. Chinese people's understanding of democracy is deepening, and the institutional arrangements of democracy in the country have been improving. Although socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics may not be perfect in some aspects, developing a more extensive and robust people's democracy has become the consensus of Chinese society.

Chinese people, under the Party's leadership, will continue to follow the socialist democratic path with Chinese characteristics, carrying high the banner of people's democracy, to widen the Chinese path to democracy.

The author is a researcher with the CCCPC Party Literature Research Office. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/13/2014 page11)