China's grassroots democracy: Governance practice embedded in life

Editor's note: CGTN has recently launched the Ask China campaign to satisfy international audiences' curiosity about China. We invite experts, professionals, editors, reporters and others to provide answers to the insightful questions sent to CGTN by our viewers from around the world. Liang Suoli is a CGTN commentator. She explains how democracy functions at the grassroots level in China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

To understand democracy in China, one must shift the focus to the most basic units of social life – communities, villages, enterprises and public institutions. It is here that China's grassroots democracy operates in a distinctive and pragmatic manner, offering the most vivid and direct expression of whole-process people's democracy.

At its core, China's grassroots democracy aims to ensure that the people can lawfully and continuously participate in governance in their everyday lives. It is, in essence, a form of "democracy in governance," focused on solving practical problems and improving people's well-being rather than revolving around periodic political mobilization. Based on the system of self-governance by the people, it takes shape mainly through villagers' self-governance in rural areas, residents' self-governance in urban communities and democratic management in enterprises and public institutions. Under the leadership of grassroots Party organizations, it forms a complete governance cycle through five closely interconnected stages: democratic elections, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management and democratic oversight.

Democratic elections lay the foundation. Members of villagers' committees and urban residents' committees are directly elected by local residents through secret ballots and open vote-counting. This is not a mere formality, but the primary source of legitimacy for grassroots governance authority, determining who will be responsible for serving the public and managing local affairs.

Democratic consultation builds consensus. At the grassroots level in China, "matters discussed through consultation" is the common practice. Whether it is installing elevators in older residential buildings, reallocating parking spaces in urban communities, deciding on industrial projects, or allocating collective funds in rural areas, issues are typically deliberated through urban residents' or villagers' consultative meetings and forums. Diverse opinions are fully expressed, and proposals are refined through discussion. These regular, face-to-face consultations ensure that democratic participation runs throughout the entire process of advancing public affairs.

Democratic decision-making ensures standardized procedures. Major matters follow rigorous processes to guarantee sound and transparent outcomes. A widely adopted model in rural areas is the "Four Discussions and Two Disclosures" mechanism: proposals are put forward by the Party branch, discussed by the Party Organization Committee and Villagers' Committee, reviewed by the Party members' meeting and finally decided by the villagers' representatives meeting or the villagers' assembly. Both the decision and its implementation results are made public. This process integrates Party organizations, Party members and public representatives into a structured decision-making chain, effectively preventing arbitrary personal decisions.

Democratic management promotes co-governance. After decisions are made, residents participate in daily management through norms jointly formulated by the community, including village rules and urban residents' conventions. Public sanitation, maintenance of shared facilities and mediation of disputes are handled through these collectively agreed norms. Community initiatives such as waste sorting and volunteer services often operate effectively within this framework of self-management and self-service.

Democratic oversight ensures effectiveness. Villagers' and urban residents' supervisory committees are specifically tasked with overseeing finances, projects, subsidies and the performance of local officials, with relevant information disclosed in accordance with the law. With the expansion of digital technologies, many localities have extended the disclosure of Party affairs, government affairs and financial affairs to online platforms, enabling residents to access information, exercise oversight and provide feedback at any time, ensuring that power operates in the sunshine.

These institutional arrangements are far from theoretical constructs; they are deeply embedded in grassroots governance and translated into tangible results. In provinces such as Zhejiang, the system of deliberating and voting on livelihood projects by people's congress deputies allows the public to propose projects, deputies to decide through voting, governments to implement them, and people's congresses to oversee the process. In cities such as Beijing, digital platforms have enabled the model of "handling complaints immediately upon receipt," ensuring prompt responses to community concerns. Together, these practices point to a shared objective: ensuring that democracy serves to address the issues people care about most.

From a broader perspective, the vitality of China's grassroots democracy lies not only in safeguarding the people's rights to be informed, to participate, to express their views and to exercise oversight, but also in enhancing governance efficiency and promoting the resolution of social disputes at the grassroots level. It offers a different lens through which to understand democracy: its effectiveness ultimately depends on whether it enables sustained public participation in daily life and delivers meaningful responses to real concerns. China's experience suggests that while democratic models may vary, their vitality ultimately depends on serving and benefiting the people.