The second phase of the International Forum on Democracy continues in Beijing, with a focus on national governance.

Attendees at the forum from across the globe expressed various perspectives on the meaning of democracy and national governance.

"It is a joke for the U.S. to call itself a 'beacon of democracy,'" said Wang Linggui, senior research fellow and deputy director of the Institute of Intelligence and Information Research of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in his contribution. "The U.S. has long-standing problems of freedom of speech, in its electoral system, corruption and human rights."