Chinese Ambassador Hu Zhangliang has said this year China is celebrating the Communist Party centenary and it has been dubbed as the most successful to have delivered China from the ‘sick man of Asia’ to the largest economy in Asia.
He said whether a system is democratic depends on whether it can represent the overall interests of the people and whether the people are satisfied. “Democracy is not for embellishment; it should deliver. At the center of democracy are people."
Elaborating on what democracy is and how to evaluate if a system is democratic Ambassador Hu said the different government systems are all geared towards improving the lives of people.
“China's people-center philosophy and the democratic system" of the people, by the people, for the people" are for the sake of the people. China's socialist whole-process democracy shall be understood as ‘from the people, to the people, with the people, for the people."
In China, the Ambassador averred that the rights and freedoms of the Chinese are fully protected by the Constitution, absolute poverty has become a thing of the past, almost every Chinese has basic medical insurance and old-age pension insurance, and COVID-19 has been put under control in China with 1.1 billion people fully vaccinated.
China he said has also signed 26 international instruments on human rights, provided vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations, and will supply altogether 2 billion doses by the end of this year.
The Ambassador noted that the Belt and Road Initiative, guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, will take tens of millions of people of other countries out of poverty.
"We never say that our system is the best because we know only the suited is the best. Whether it is good or not should not be judged by what we say, but what we do.”
He said Chinese people's satisfaction with the Communist Party of China has been over 90 percent for each of the 10 years. Citizens in China have the opportunity to use a hotline in some cities that works 24/7 to report problems that need the government's attention. Over the years, more than nine million problems have been reported and resolved through the hotline, and people's satisfaction rating has remained above 90 percent.
"I'm not saying China is perfect. There are many difficulties and challenges on our way ahead, such as how to make our development more balanced and adequate, and ensure fairness and justice in a market economy. We are deepening reform, improving socialist democracy, and modernizing national governance. These efforts are to meet the people's aspiration for a better life and make a greater contribution to mankind."
Ambassador Hu said China and the United States are different in history, culture, and political system. The two countries should not and cannot change each other. Instead, they should break ideological barriers, discard zero-sum mentality, respect other countries, and accommodate each other without losing their distinctions, to get along with each other in peace.
Amb. Hu Zhangliang
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