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China's claim to democracy: Does it pass the test of democratic traditions?
China under Xi Jinping says it is a more genuine democracy than those in the West. But does it pass the test of democratic traditions, and will the people want more?
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University students displaying the Communist Party flag to mark its 100th anniversary in Hubei, China, on Sept 10, 2021.
PHOTO: AFP
In an apparent dig at liberal democracy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in October that if people are awakened only for voting, but then enter a dormant period and have no say or are left out in the cold after the election is over, that is not true democracy.
On the other hand, China's brand of democracy, the whole-process people's democracy, "is a full-process, all-around, and full-coverage democracy, and is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective socialist democracy", he proclaimed at a conference on work related to people's congresses, or legislatures.
