Thread by @ABPevzner

Time for that Democracy lesson, or "#China vs #West – the Battle of Systems" – Xi Jinping expounds on “whole-process democracy.” Highlights: China’s National People’s Congress/#NPC system ensures ultimate power resides with the people and ensures the people are sovereign 1/

and a big institutional advantage of the Chinese political system, says Xi Jinping at an important conference on work related to people's congresses. @NPC_Observer
The people's congress system “organically combines the party’s leadership, the people’s sovereignty, and 2/

the rule of law, and effectively guards against the historical cycle of rise and fall of the states.” 人民代表大会制度，坚持国家一切权力属于人民，最大限度保障人民当家作主，把党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机结合起来，有效保证国家治理跳出治乱兴衰的历史周期率。3/ @NeysunM

(there’s a brief translation to English from Xinhua news.cn/english/2021-1… , but the full Chinese original is more interesting, bear with me) 4/

Xi notes “China’s institutional advantage is vital for a country to seize its strategic initiative” in today’s world that is undergoing changes not seen in a century (Chinese stock phrase for strategic opportunity presented by the relative decline of the West). 5/ @GeringTuvia

Xi also reminds the party must have the decisive say over the legislative process (no haggling, like in the West). (on the “whole-process democracy,” here is a August piece from China Daily: chinadailyhk.com/article/234026… ) 6/

And what is an effective democracy, according to Xi? When evaluating whether a country’s system is democratic, you must ask whether it allows for an orderly transition of power of the country’s political elite (I know, I know, but you read that right: ..7/

评价一个国家政治制度是不是民主的、有效的，主要看国家领导层能否依法有序更替. On the other hand, maybe he’s not going to “run” in 2022? Nah) 8/ @CarlMinzner @niubi

whether people have voting power and political participation, whether promises made to the people before the elections were delivered upon after the elections, whether there are rules for the exercise of political power, 9/

and whether power is kept under oversight and restraint by the people. 一个国家民主不民主，关键在于是不是真正做到了人民当家作主，要看人民有没有投票权，更要看人民有没有广泛参与权；要看人民在选举过程中得到了什么口头许诺，更要看选举后这些承诺实现了多少；10/

要看制度和法律规定了什么样的政治程序和政治规则，更要看这些制度和法律是不是真正得到了执行；要看权力运行规则和程序是否民主，更要看权力是否真正受到人民监督和制约。11/

Lastly, Xi takes his usual dig at the Western (i.e. American)-style democracy, the way it’s practiced across the Pacific pond) – democracy belongs to everyone, and not the exclusive right of some countries, and there’s no single yardstick to decide what is a democracy. 12/

For previous elaborations by Xi on “whole-process democracy,” read it in your favorite party theory journal seeking truth: en.qstheory.cn/2021-09/08/c_6… . End 13/13