​The International Forum on Democracy opened on December 4 in Beijing, with a theme of "shared human values." Dignitaries​ and intellectuals from over 120 countries, regions, and international organizations ​are participating in the event, both online and in person.

Hosted by Wang Xiaohui, the executive deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the International Forum on Democracy aims to boost exchanges and mutual learning, and advances development of all ​the world's countries.

Huang Kunming, the head of the publicity Department of CPC Central Committee said "as COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, humanity faces increasing deficits in governance, trust, development, and peace. Democracy is the shared pursuit of all the people in the world. We should promote solidarity, cooperation and people’s well-being, and put an end to separatism, confrontation, and social turbulence."

The forum stresses democracy is not a decoration, or an ornament.  It has to work for the people. Shen Haixiong, the president of China Media Group (CMG) claimed "if it can't put people at the center and improve people’s well-being, no matter how exquisite the rhetoric is, this kind of democracy is just deceiving itself and others."

Xie Fuzhan, the president of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stresses that "democracy practice can only be reliable when it is rooted in the country's soil. Democratic theory research can only be persuasive when it is based on conditions in its own country."

Dignitaries ​and intellectuals from over 120 countries, regions, and international organizations share​d their thoughts on democracy's origins, values, and principles, calling for multilateralism and cooperation.

Yukio Hatoyama, the former prime minister of Japan mentioned that "although different countries have different social systems, they must focus on the 'common values' of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom."

The president of the communist party of Spain, José L. Centella Gómez noted "only by sharing resources and cooperating among all the states and peoples of the planet, we will find a solution to end the current situation of health emergency and economic crisis."

The participants in the forum agree that democracy can be adopted to meet the needs of modern societies, and a closer international cooperation is needed, to face the challenges of the world today.