Whole-Process Democracy Has Improved the Efficacy of People’s Democracy

Whether a country is democratic or not depends on whether its people truly run the country. It depends on whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate; what promises they are given during elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are honored after elections; what kind of political procedures and rules are set through state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; and whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public oversight and checks. Through a complete set of institutions and procedures and full-fledged participation, we have turned whole-process people's democracy from a value concept into an institutional form, governance mechanism, and way of life that is rooted in Chinese soil.

Whole-process people's democracy has ensured the full protection of Chinese people's rights and brought significant improvements in their lives. China has built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world, ensuring a more complete and lasting sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security for its people and making further progress in achieving common prosperity for all.

Through whole-process people's democracy, citizens have the opportunity to manage state and social affairs, as well as economic and cultural undertakings. This includes providing opinions and suggestions for the top-level design of national development, participating in local governance of public affairs, and engaging in democratic elections and consultations, as well as democratic decision-making, management, and oversight. The people can express their desires and demands through channels such as people's congresses and people's political consultative conferences, as well as through social organizations and online platforms. People must be able to freely express their demands, but they also must be able to see those demands realized.

Whole-process people's democracy has promoted efficiency in national governance and helped modernize our country's governance system and capacity. In the more than 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, our Party has brought the people together and led them in overcoming all manner of unprecedented difficulties on the road to progress. We have successfully embarked on a path of Chinese modernization and achieved impressive advances in development, significantly improving China's economic strength, composite national power, and standard of living.

Whole-process people's democracy is both a propellant and lubricant for social progress in China. In the space of mere decades, China has achieved industrialization, a process that took developed countries several centuries. Moreover, despite the intense social change, it has not experienced the kind of social turmoil that often arises in some developing countries during the process of modernization. As a result, China has achieved a miracle of enduring social stability as well as of rapid economic growth.

Through whole-process people's democracy, we have truly ensured that development is for and by the people and that its fruits are also shared by the people. We have fully guaranteed that it is the people who run the country. With this, the path of Chinese democracy will undoubtedly continue to grow broader.