World Insights: How international community views Chinese democracy through lens of 'two sessions'

Deputies attend the opening meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Power in hands of people

"I was following the two sessions last year. There was a driver who was one of the deputies appointed to sit in that body. There were delivery riders, farmers, teachers, cooks, doctors, journalists, who ordinarily will not make it to an institution where laws are made," said Eric Biegon, a journalist at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. He was deeply impressed by the wide representation of the deputies.

"What captures my attention when it comes to China and (its) politics is that (the Chinese) have chosen a path that tends to bring people at the center of decision-making," he said.

When talking about China's "two sessions," many overseas observers like Biegon spontaneously mention broad representation, which features prominently in China's whole-process people's democracy. In their eyes, broad representation is a necessary requirement for ensuring that the people are the masters of the country.

The 2,977 deputies to the 14th NPC make up a broad cross-section of people, with every region, ethnic group and sector of society having an appropriate number of representatives.

In the new lineup, 497 deputies are workers and farmers, 634 technical personnel, accounting for 16.69 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively.

The 2,172 members of the 14th CPPCC National Committee are from all of China's 56 ethnic groups, and 60.8 percent of them are not CPC members.

Zia Banday, senior research fellow at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, said deputies and members of the "two sessions" in China represent the interests of the people.

They prepare for a long time each year, put forward opinions and suggestions, conduct deliberations and discussions, and provide ideas for national and people's livelihoods. This unique model ensures that the "two sessions" can fully reflect the voice of the Chinese people, he said.

The decision-making in the "two sessions" is open to all Chinese and friends who are interested in the overall development of the country, said Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business and a senior expert on China's decision-making mechanism.

"I think the outcomes that China has achieved in recent years show that the process is broad in opinion and effective in results. The country's economic and social achievements speak for themselves."

Aerial photo taken on April 28, 2020 shows a view of a poverty-relief relocation site in Nandan County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming)

A new path of democracy

"I have been to China many times. I understand that China's progress is not accidental. This is due to the unity of the Chinese people, together with the vision of the leadership of the Communist Party of China," said Chea Munyrith, president of the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researcher Association.

Recalling his visit to Xishuangbanna in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, Munyrith said that "I saw the spirit of development under the image of a united people force, which is a form of democracy with the Chinese characteristic. The development of villages is the decision of the people in the village and with the consultation and guidance of local CPC members."

"I have always admired and shared this picture with the villagers in Cambodia, and I have always talked with my government officials and friends in Cambodia about this good form of democracy," he added.

The Chinese style democratic model adopts an approach featuring consultative democracy under the CPC leadership. Such a system, seeking to bring its people together for a common goal, proves to be a story of success and serves as an inspiring paradigm for other developing countries.

The Chinese democracy has pulled 800 million people out of poverty and contributed to establishing infrastructure and health systems that benefit the Chinese people, said Asghar, the Pakistani journalist.

"I think that the Chinese democratic system is becoming a model for so many countries," Asghar added.

For Munyrith, who was once the head of the translation team for the Cambodian version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," what impressed him most about China's democratic system is that the CPC has always put the people first.

"As the ruling party, the Communist Party of China represents the interests of the people, and all policies put the interests of the people first," he added.

Pointing out that there are various types of democratic system models, Pfetten emphasized that the Chinese socialist consultative democracy provides an elegant way of solving the antithesis between equality and liberty.

The British scholar is writing a book on Chinese democracy, elaborating on the achievements of the Chinese democracy to readers based on his individual experience in China.

Sommad Pholsena, vice president of the Lao National Assembly, said that the innovative proposal of whole-process people's democracy demonstrates the self-confidence of the CPC, and offers fresh insights into the democratic building in other countries.