PUB - Does China have democracy?

PR Newswire

BEIJING , June 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An interview with Sun Wanlu, a commentator from China.org.cn on China's democracy:

I don't quite get why people often ask us these kinds of questions. As an ordinary Chinese person born in the 1980s, what I want to say is that there are other things that concern me more: Like, how can I earn more money? What will my parents' future look like? And what kind of school will my kids go to?

If your leaders are elected by a "one person, one vote" system, then cool! But when I looked into it, I found the numbers are staggering… Is it really each person's vote that decides who gets elected? Isn't it money that decides?

What exactly is democracy? The concept is based on majority rule, and rule by the people. For me, democracy is whether my concerns are heard by those making the decisions and whether my opinions are considered or adopted in the decision-making process.

My parents are almost 60 and often struggle with new technology. This is a pretty common problem nowadays among older people. So, some deputies of the National People's Congress (NPC) conducted interviews, researched the issues, and then submitted proposals to the NPC. At the same time, a lot of people also called for social media platforms to provide solutions. In the end, China issued guidelines this year on the matter, with many websites, apps and smart devices starting to roll out special elderly-friendly designs.

Of course, a transformation like this requires concerted efforts from enterprises, government departments and other sectors, and involves many processes. For that reason, various parties need to be consulted before policies are formulated. Everyone participates equally in the discussion process and has the chance to express their opinions. Only when a consensus is reached can a policy be finalized and implemented smoothly.

Just like this example shows, these systems allow people's wants and needs to be reflected in the country's policies and laws. Isn't that democracy?

China Mosaic
http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

Does China have democracy?
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2021-06/08/content_77556179.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn