China's modernization debunks Western 'myth of democracy'

Editor's note: The International Forum on Democracy: Shared Human Values is to be held in March in China. What are the characteristics of China's democracy? Does Western skepticism against China's political system hold water? How are people's interests represented in China's political mechanisms? Democracy in China is a three-part series analyzing the above questions. The third essay focuses on the diversity of democracy. Wang Yiwei is Jean Monnet chair professor and director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The Western "myth of democracy" plays two tricks. Firstly, it confuses "democracy" as a system of government with "democratic qualities" of a political system. Secondly, it muddles "universal values" that the West has been enthusiastically preaching for with the common values of mankind. As a result, the "myth" is created – Western culture becomes the origin of democracy.

This monopolizes the discourse on democracy, creating a binary opposition between "democracy" and "autocracy." The so-called "Summit for Democracy" led by the United States has reached the apex of this ploy by attempting to cripple the United Nations system based on sovereign states and the international order grounded in international law.

Contrary to Western sermons, the origins of democracy are diverse: Africa has "public reason under the tree," Arabia has the Shura principle in Islamic nomocracy and Latin America has diverse participatory democratic forms, to name but a few. Overlooking the cultural genesis of democracy and dressing up Western colonialism as a universal value is a mockery of democracy.

China's modernization, rooted in the splendid traditional Chinese culture and its creative transformation and innovative development, has debunked the myth that "modernization equals Westernization." It inspires the belief that modernization is not about abandoning tradition. Instead, it is embarking on a path to modernization adapted to the country's unique conditions.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) transcends humanism with human-centric thinking, learning from Western political civilization and making it localized and contemporary. While former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln spoke of democracy "of the people, by the people and for the people," Chinese revolutionary and statesman Sun Yat-sen further developed this into the Three Principles of the People – often summarized as nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood.

The CPC has gone further. It has elevated the people-oriented philosophy to the core principle of "putting the people at the center" of national governance. The CPC is not a ruling political party in Western systems where parties represent only a fraction of voters or a traditional political party in ancient Chinese culture. The CPC aims to pursue fairness and justice, advocating human-centric principles.

Some Westerners believe that China's democracy stands against – or attempts to transcend – the Western democratic model. In fact, it is about restoring democracy to its original state: embracing the shared values of all mankind, rather than denying other forms of democracy.

As the world's largest developing country, China has been committed to providing more public goods for the world without imposing its own will on others. From the Belt and Road Initiative to the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), China has put relentless efforts into tackling global challenges based on the principles of openness and equality.

Unlike the U.S. enthusiastically selling weapons to others, stoking regional conflicts and disrupting the global order under the banner of "democracy," China has been dedicated to enriching the toolbox of global public goods. Rather than forcing others into China-style democracy, China respects different forms of civilizations and other countries' right to choose their own path of development.

However, in the eyes of some Westerners, democracy is an exclusive patent of the West. Such a mindset has neglected the diversity of democracy and confused "democracy" as a system of government with "democratic qualities" of a political system. Rather, the China-proposed concept of building a global community of shared future is the country's tangible contribution to world democracy.

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