Exploring the Essence of Democracy to Build a Better Future
探求民主本质，塑造美好未来
Article by Ambassador Liu Yantao in Cyprus Mail
刘彦涛大使在《塞浦路斯邮报》刊发署名文章
29 August 2021
2021年8月29日
“Democracy”, a concept that runs through ancient and modern history, has presented varying connotations and denotations with the change of national conditions over the times. To better understand democracy, we must first truly grasp the essence of democracy and understand its origin and core pursuits. The term “democracy” originated from the Athenian democratic politics in the classical Greek civilization, and its original meaning was “rule of the people”. Since antiquity, it has become an important institutional means to bridge the differences between the aristocratic oligarchy and the political demands of the broad masses of citizens, thus creating the origin of western democratic political civilization. The world today is marked with chaos induced by social division, political polarization, and democratic regression. Under such circumstances, people all over the world are exploring the essence of “democracy,” in order to address practical problems, alleviate social conflict and create better conditions for people, through specific forms of democracy that are appropriate and effective.
“民主”是一个贯穿古今的概念，自诞生以来人们对其内涵和外延的认识一直随着时代和国情变化而变化。要搞清民主，首先须真正把握民主本质，了解民主的起源和核心追求。“民主”一词发源于古希腊文明中的雅典民主政治，其本义是“人民统治”。自古风时代起成为缓和贵族寡头政治和广大公民政治诉求的重要制度形式，以此发西方民主政治文明之滥觞。放眼当今世界，社会撕裂、政治极化和民主倒退层出不穷、乱象丛生。在此形势下，世界人民更加迫切地希望探求“民主”本质，并通过具体而合适的、管用的民主制度形式，解决实际问题，缓和社会矛盾，创造美好生活。
As ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius said, “it’s only natural for things to be different.” There are no identical democratic political systems in the world, nor is there a one-size-fits-all model for all countries. Then, what principles shall we pursue in developing and improving democracy?
“物之不齐，物之情也。”世界上不存在完全相同的民主政治制度，也不存在适用于一切国家的制度和模式。那么发展和完善民主制度，需要坚持哪些原则呢？
1. Accommodating to the essence of democracy
一、发展和完善民主制度，要适应民主的本质属性。
The essence of democracy is, first of all, its people-oriented nature, meaning it is people-centered, rather than representing a specific group. Democracy should aim to alleviate the conflicts among various classes, rather than amplify or even create them. In the practice of democracy in China, the Communist Party of China (CPC), as the ruling party, has no special interests of its own. It has never represented any specific interest group, power group, or privileged class, but promotes the requirements for the development of China’s advanced productive forces, the orientation of the development of China’s advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people in China. Therefore, the CPC can work together with all democratic parties to govern the country through political consultations. In his speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the CPC, President Xi Jinping said, “The CPC has in the people its roots, its lifeblood, and its source of strength. The CPC has always represented the fundamental interests of all Chinese people; it stands with them through thick and thin and shares a common fate with them.” This not only reveals the essential features of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, but also explains the key political code behind China’s success in achieving rapid development, political stability, and social harmony.
民主本质属性首先是民本性，即以人民为中心，而非代表特定阶层群体，旨在缓和各阶层群体间矛盾，而不是扩大矛盾或使之对立起来。在中国的民主实践中，中国共产党作为执政党，没有任何党派私利，从来不代表任何利益集团、任何权势团体、任何特权阶层的利益，而是代表先进生产力的发展要求，代表先进文化的前进方向，代表中国最广大人民的根本利益。所以中国共产党能够同所有参政民主党派通过政治协商共同治理国家。习近平主席在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上曾讲到，“中国共产党根基在人民、血脉在人民、力量在人民。中国共产党始终代表最广大人民根本利益，与人民休戚与共、生死相依。”这不仅深刻揭示了中国特色社会主义民主的本质特征，也阐释了中国之所以能成功实现快速发展、政治稳定、社会和谐背后的核心政治密码。
The essence of democracy is also specific, that is, democracy is not formalism. It should be conducive to creating a better life for the people, ensuring good governance, and solving practical problems in a country’s political, economic and social development. In the practice of democracy in China, the CPC has creatively adopted consultative democracy, adheres to whole-process democracy with wide participation, so that the wishes and needs of the majority can be achieved and satisfied, and the reasonable wishes and needs of the minority can be fully expressed and accommodated. The practice of democracy is not limited to elections held every few years. It is also reflected in the decision-making on major issues in a country’s political, economic and social life and in people’s daily lives, which ensure that the people are the true masters of their own country with their participation and monitoring of matters affecting their lives. Taking the formulation process of the “14th Five-Year Plan” and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 adopted in March 2021 as an example, the Chinese government collected more than 1.018 million opinions and suggestions online from all social sectors, and received thousands of proposals and suggestions via hundreds of symposiums and hearings held with local authorities, experts in various fields, democratic parties and personages without party affiliations, based on which 55 modifications were made to the draft plans. Harvard Kennedy School’s polls on China for 13 consecutive years show that the Chinese people’s satisfaction with the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China has always remained above 90%. This is the greatest affirmation of Chinese democracy.
民主的本质属性还包括具体性，即民主实践不能流于形式主义，应当切实有利于给人民创造美好生活，实现良政善治，解决国家政治经济社会发展过程中的实际问题。在中国的民主实践中，中国共产党创造性地采用协商民主，坚持全过程民主和广泛民主，使多数人的意愿和要求得以落实和满足，使少数人的合理意愿和要求得到充分表达和兼顾。民主的落实不局限在几年一次的选举，还体现在国家政治经济社会发展大事的决策和人民日常生活中，真正做到人民做主、人民参与、人民监督。以2021年3月通过的“十四五”规划和2035年远景目标纲要编制过程为例，中国政府通过互联网向全社会征集到意见建议超过101.8万条，还面向地方部门、各领域专家、民主党派、无党派人士等有关主体召开数百场座谈会、听证会，收到数以千计的提案和建议,并据此对规划纲要草案作出了55处修改。美国哈佛大学连续13年对中国的民意调查显示，中国人民对中国政府和中国共产党的满意度长期保持在90%以上。这是对中式民主的最大肯定。
2. Accommodating to people’s fundamental needs
二、发展和完善民主制度，要适应人民的根本需求。
In ancient Greece, people believed that “Democratia” was part of their “good living” (Eu zin). Democracy is closely related to people’s lives and is an important way to build a better life. The modernization of the democratic political system should go hand in hand with the development of the country to achieve the coordinated progress in material, political, cultural-ethical, social, and ecological development, and meet the needs of the people for a happy life in all aspects. In practising democracy in China, the CPC aims to create conditions for a happy life for the people under the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan for coordinated progress in the economic, political, cultural, social and ecological fields, which is the Chinese path to modernization. Such a path supports and promotes the development of democracy in China, effectively guarantees the people’s rights to survival and development and other democratic rights, and ultimately allows prosperity for all the people through the sharing of the benefits of modernization. This is in sharp contrast to the chaos in some countries where “the vast majority serves the minority” or where “the governments are of, by and for the one percent of the people”.
在古希腊文明中，人们认为“民主”（Democratia）是“美好生活”（Eu zin）的一部分。民主政治制度与人民的生活息息相关，是创造美好生活的重要途径。民主政治制度的现代化应与国家发展并行，实现物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明和生态文明的均衡发展，满足人民对幸福生活的全方位需求。在中国的民主实践中，中国共产党在国家发展的“五位一体”总体布局下构建人民安居乐业的美好生活，通过将经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态建设等五大建设有机统一，全面构建五大文明，这就是中国式现代化的目标。这一目标支撑并促进中国民主发展，切实保障人民的生存权、发展权和各项民主权利，最终实现让全体人民共同富裕并共享现代化成果。这不同于一些国家出现的“绝大多数人服务少数人”、“1%民有、1%民治、1%民享”的乱象。
Economic development drives material progress. To ensure a good and happy life for the people, a country must first “make the cake bigger”, by driving productivity and technological development to create more material wealth and opportunities. Political development aims to promote and improve the political ecosystem, to ensure economic development and social stability, so that the people can become the masters of their own country, protected by the rule of law, which sets restraints on interest groups, power groups, elite politics and capital. Cultural development focuses on cultural and ethical progress, which enables a better and deeper understanding of democracy, opens people’s minds, sets ethical standards, tackles ignorance, and leads to spiritual satisfaction and a better life. Social development aims to promote social progress, focusing on improving living standards of all social sectors, building a harmonious society, preventing social conflicts, narrowing gaps between the rich and the poor, and eliminating the causes of chaos, disorder, discrimination and violence. Ecological development aims to promote ecological progress in order to achieve the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, and effectively protect the environment which is to the benefit of everyone. If any democratic system runs against the above five principles, such a democratic model is at least crippled, and can never set an example for others.
经济建设是物质文明发展的基础。人民想要享受美好的幸福生活，首先要“把蛋糕做大”，促进生产力和科技发展，创造更多的物质财富和发展机遇供人民享用。政治建设就是推进和完善政治文明，以保障经济发展和社会稳定，通过全面依法治国，约束利益集团、权势团体、精英政治和资本侵权僭法，真正保证全体人民当家作主。文化建设致力于发展精神文明，促进人民对民主有更好、更深入的理解，开启民智、规范道德、防止愚昧，真正做到价值追求上的科学进步和精神富足。社会建设旨在推动社会文明建设，着力改善社会各阶层民生，打造和谐社会，防止社会撕裂、贫富分化，破除混乱、无序、歧视和暴力滋生的土壤。生态建设旨在推动生态文明建设，实现人与自然的和谐共存、生态良好，切实保障人民赖以生存发展的美丽家园。如果民主制度与以上五大文明发展相悖，那么这种民主模式至少是残缺的，更不能称为典范。
3. Accommodating to the basic national conditions
三、发展和完善民主制度，要适应本国的基本国情。
From the origin of democracy in ancient Greece to the Renaissance, and from the Enlightenment to the wave of modern democratization after World War II, history has repeatedly illustrated one truth: in designing, developing or improving the political system of a country, it is critical to base this on its specific national conditions, including cultural traditions, the stage of economic and social development, national mentality and values, in order to choose a democratic political path that suits it the best. In modern history, China experimented with bourgeois democracy, a constitutional monarchy or a bourgeois republic, but all these failed at protecting China from aggression by Western imperialist powers, or saved it from poverty and backwardness, which pushed China to the brink of national subjugation and extinction. At that critical moment, history and the people chose the CPC. Under the guidance of Marxism, the CPC carried out continuous exploration and practice of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, and established a political system in which the CPC is the ruling party with broad participation of democratic parties in the administration of state affairs, and the people being the masters of the country. In this way, it has promoted the development of democracy and the prosperity of the country. It can be said that when designing, developing and improving its own form of democracy, China always focused on absorbing the experience of western political systems under the guidance of the Marxist concept of democracy, adhered to its specific national conditions, and developed a democratic path that is based on the leadership of the CPC, the people as the masters of the country and the rule of law. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, China’s overall national strength and people’s living standards have substantially improved, and the democratic rights of the people are fully protected by material, social and legal conditions. This fully proves the feasibility and superiority of such a path and institutional framework. The development of democracy in China has offered a “Chinese solution” for the global democratic political culture.
从古希腊民主起源到文艺复兴，从启蒙运动到二战后的现代民主化浪潮，历史反复印证了一个道理：一个国家设计、发展和完善本国的政治制度，必须坚持从本国国情出发，包括传统文化影响、经济社会发展阶段、国民心理价值追求等，要从这些实际出发，走适合本国国情的民主政治道路。近代以来的中国曾经尝试过资产阶级民主，曾探索建立君主立宪制和资产阶级共和制，但都没有能够成功解救中国，当时的中国仍然遭受西方帝国主义列强的侵略，国家贫穷落后，人民生活困苦，面临着亡国灭种的危险。危难关头，历史和人民选择了中国共产党，在马克思主义指导下对中国特色社会主义民主进行了不懈探索和实践，建立了中国共产党执政、各民主党派参政议政和人民当家作主的政治制度，促进了民主发展和国家富强。可以说，中国在设计、发展和完善自身民主时，一直注重吸取西方政治文明的经验，并以马克思主义民主观为指导，坚持结合本国具体国情，走出了一条坚持中国共产党领导、人民当家作主与依法治国相统一的民主发展道路。新中国成立特别是改革开放以来，中国综合国力和人民生活水平大幅提升，人民的各项民主权利有了充分的物质的、社会的和法治条件的保障，充分证明了这条道路和这一制度架构的可行性和优越性。中国的民主发展，为全人类民主政治文明提供了“中国方案”。
In today’s world, if democracy is truly deemed an axiom, a system of beliefs and values, it should be adapted to the development trends of the times to upholding real multilateralism and promoting the democratization of international relations. The biggest enemies of multilateralism and the democratization of international relations are hegemonism and unilateralism. The willful establishment of military alliances, withdrawal from international organizations and agreements, threatening others from a position of strength, use of group interests to force the subjugation of weaker countries, the export of ideology globally, as well as the imposing of sanctions against countries with different philosophies, run against the democratization of international relations, and is a true reflection of the perpetrators’ undemocratic system. China has always adhered to the democratization of international relations, firmly practised true multilateralism, effectively safeguarded the international system with the United Nations as its core and the international order based on international law, promoted the common values of humanity which are peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and driven the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China launched the Belt and Road Initiative and has so far signed cooperation agreements with 140 countries and 31 international organizations, which reflects the values of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and conforms with the wishes of most countries in the world.
当今世界，如真正把民主视为圭臬，视为信仰和价值观，就应适应时代发展潮流，坚持真正的多边主义，推动国际关系民主化。多边主义和国际关系民主化最大的敌人就是霸权主义和单边主义。动辄以建立军事同盟、退出国际组织和国际条约和实力地位相威胁，以集团利益胁迫弱小的国家屈从自己的观点，到处输出意识形态，甚至一言不合就制裁不同理念的国家，这些行径既与国际关系民主化背道而驰，也是其国内制度不民主的真实折射。中国始终坚持国际关系民主化，坚定践行真正的多边主义，切实维护以联合国为核心的国际体系和以国际法为基础的国际秩序，促进和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值的实现，推动构建人类命运共同体。中国倡导的“一带一路”建设，同140个国家和32个国际组织签署合作文件，体现了“共商共建共享”的原则，顺应了世界上绝大多数国家的呼声。
President Xi Jinping once said, “Socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics is something new and good.” Regardless of the form of democracy, it should ultimately come down to the fundamental pursuit of a happy life for the people. With COVID-19 pandemic still raging on a global scale, the people’s lives and health are under great threat and many countries have encountered difficulties in governance and development. We should abandon ideological prejudice, communicate and learn from each other’s advantages and merits, and jointly pursue high-quality democracy that can bring tangible benefits to the people, promote the common values of humanity, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
习近平主席曾说，“中国特色社会主义民主是个新事物，也是个好事物。”无论民主有怎样的实现形式，都应最终落到为人民谋求幸福生活的根本追求上来。如今新冠疫情仍然在全球范围肆虐，广大人民的生命健康正受到威胁，许多国家治理和发展出现了难处，我们更应摒弃意识形态偏见，互相交流借鉴各国制度的优势和特长，共同追求能真正造福人民、弘扬全人类共同价值、构建人类命运共同体的高质量民主。