BEIJING: “There should not be just one door leading to the sanctuary of democracy, but many,”
“Democracy should come in many flavors, like ice cream,”…
These are views expressed by participants in the International Forum on Democracy: The Shared Human Values, held in Beijing both onsite and online on March 22-23. At the event, about 200 participants, including politicians, diplomatists, as well as scholars and other experts on democracy, from more than 100 countries, regions and international organizations brainstormed and exchanged views on democracy-related issues.
They reached the consensus that democracy is diversified and no one form is superior to another.
This year’s event is the second edition of the annual forum, which first launched in 2021. The forum was hosted by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council Information Office and co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Media Group and China International Communications Group (CICG).
Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech during the opening ceremony on March 23.
“Democracy is a relentless commitment of the CPC and the Chinese people and an unswerving pursuit of China in promoting modernization,” Li said
He further stressed that democracy is the common value of humanity and serves as the foundation for building a community with a shared future for humanity. “Democracy is not only a method of domestic governance, but a principle of global governance,” he stated.
“Democracy is diverse and there is no single way to achieve it. No two political systems in the world are identical and democracy does not come with a one-size-fits-all formula,” Li said.
He emphasized that each country should choose its own democratic path, in line with domestic conditions.
According to a report conducted by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, released during the forum’s closing ceremony, among the 9,660 respondents from 23 countries, 94.3 percent believed each country should choose democracy and modernization models that suit its national conditions.
–The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange itemw
