Chinese Modernization Demands Whole-Process People's Democracy

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has taken a new historic stance, deepened its understanding of the law governing the development of politics and democracy, and advanced the whole-process people's democracy as a major concept. 

The Party has comprehensively developed the whole-process people's democracy, improved the system of institutions through which the people run the country, and advanced socialist consultative democracy by way of extensive participation by the people. It adopts diversified forms of democracy, expands more channels, and encourages the people's orderly participation in political affairs at all levels and in all fields. As a result, historic accomplishments in whole-process people's democracy have been achieved, representing a landmark with great innovation in China's democratic politics in the new era.

A socialist democracy to the broadest extent

Whole-process people's democracy is a democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. The people take part in law-based democratic elections, consultations, decision making, management, and oversight; they participate in the management of state affairs, social affairs, and economic and cultural affairs; they provide opinions and suggestions for the design of national development plans at the highest level; they contribute to the governance of local public affairs; and they express their aspirations and demands through channels such as Party committees, people's congresses, government institutions, political consultation committees, supervisory organs and judicial organs, and through platforms like people's organizations, enterprises, government-affiliated institutions, as well as social organizations.

A socialist democracy of the truest nature

There is a complete set of institutions and procedures for whole-process people's democracy to ensure that the people are the true masters of the country. On the one hand, a comprehensive, extensive, and well-coordinated system of institutions has been formed and diverse, open, and well-organized democratic channels have been shaped to guarantee the people's orderly participation in political affairs. On the other hand, the people's aspirations and voices would be the valuable sources in making guiding principles and policies of the Party and the state through democratic decision-making process, and then through the system of state power, these principles and policies embody the people's expectations, ensuring that the people really run the country.

A socialist democracy to the greatest effect

Democracy is not an ornament for display, but an instrument for addressing the issues that concern the people. Whole-process people's democracy promotes democracy as well as practices centralism. It gives full expression to the guidelines of the CPC, the will of the state, and the expectations of the people, integrating shared goals, interests with aspirations of the Party, the government and the people. This generates a huge cohesive force that translates into one of China's great institutional strengths — the ability to pool national resources to accomplish major initiatives. It helps unleash and develop the productive forces, incentivize all sectors in the modernization drive, and raise the quality of people's life.

A great invention

The whole-process people's democracy in China not only consists of a complete set of institutions and procedures, but also has full-fledged civil participation. 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 democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a great invention of the socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era and a socialist democracy to the broadest extent, of the truest nature, and to the greatest effect. It is a true democracy that works.