Beijing Issues White Paper On 'democracy That Works'

Officials in Beijing on Saturday issued a new white paper setting out how China did not duplicate western models of democracy but created its own.

The Xinhua news agency reported that the document, entitled "China: Democracy That Works," was released by the State Council Information Office. It set out how the nation "created and developed whole-process people's democracy in line with its national conditions".

Speaking at a briefing in Beijing, Communist Party officials said efforts to force countries to adopt western democratic models were "doomed to fail".

"Adopting the hegemonic mindset that 'whoever agrees with me is right and whoever disagrees with me is wrong,' a handful of countries regard other forms of democracy as undemocratic, and ostracise and suppress other forms of democracy," said Xu Lin, vice minister of the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee.

"This behaviour is undemocratic. They themselves have a stigmatised record of democracy. Their domestic governance is messed up, but they point fingers at and criticise other democracies. Is this the democracy they advertised?"

Xinhua reported that the white paper, published in Chinese and English, set out "a form of democracy with distinctive Chinese features which at the same time reflects humanity's universal desire for democracy".

The white paper said the nation had drawn "wisdom and strength from its 5,000-year-old culture and fine traditions" in developing its democracy, Xinhua added. (RTHK, with additional reporting by AP)