Experts discuss democracy

More study needed on link between political system and human rights

More studies should be carried out on developing whole-process people's democracy as it plays a key role in protecting human rights, Chinese experts on law, politics and human rights said at a seminar over the weekend.

While calling for academic research on the relationship between democracy and human rights, they also proposed the country promote whole-process people's democracy by rule of law.

Their remarks were made at a seminar held by the Human Rights Center at Renmin University of China in Beijing on Saturday, with some professionals participating via video link.

Han Dayuan, director of the center, said democracy and human rights are common human values in today's world, "but they're often politicized or ideologically used by a few Western countries".

He called for more scholars to study the relationship between democracy and human rights from the perspective of whole-process people's democracy and human rights protection, adding it is their obligation and academic mission to do so.

Recalling China's human rights achievements over the past three decades, Chen Shiqiu, an adviser to China Society for Human Rights Studies, said the country has always put people's lives and development as a top priority.

He gave the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, underscoring that people's rights have been upheld consistently as China implemented prevention and control methods.

"This helped us stop the spreading of the virus quickly and effectively protected human rights," he said.

Yang Guangbin, head of the university's School of International Studies, said that putting people first amid the pandemic has also shown that China's style of governance is effective.

He said democracy is a kind of tool for governance, "which means it can be diversified, not just one".

Yang said China's whole-process people's democracy combines public participation, effective policymaking, and implementation. He added that whether public concerns are being addressed by the central leadership is key to judging the country's democratic prowess.

Lin Yan, a law professor at KoGuan School of Law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized the adherence to the rule of law in the development of whole-process people's democracy, and said a people-centered approach should be upheld in all respects.

"We have to continue to develop the people's congress system, as it's the fundamental political system highlighted in our Constitution, and it's also the main way to fulfill the people's demands, as they are the masters of the country," he said.

While calling for strict enforcement of democracy-related articles in existing laws, he suggested the nation intensify legal support to specify and guarantee the development of whole-process people's democracy.