Global Forum Highlights Democracy as Shared Human Value
A diverse group of scholars and senior officials gathered in Beijing on Wednesday to emphasize democracy as a shared value for humanity, discussing its various forms and the vital role it plays in enhancing global governance.
The third International Forum on Democracy: The Shared Human Values convened over 200 guests from around the world, engaging in extensive discussions on realizing democracy in the modern and digital age.
Diverse Approaches to Democracy
Speakers at the forum underscored that there is no one-size-fits-all model of democracy and stressed the importance of respecting diverse democratic practices. They highlighted that different nations may adopt different democratic systems suited to their unique historical, cultural, and social contexts.
China’s Whole-Process People’s Democracy
China’s approach to democracy, known as whole-process people’s democracy, integrates democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight under law through a comprehensive system of institutional arrangements.
Ong Tee Keat, former deputy speaker of the Lower House of the Malaysian parliament, praised China’s whole-process people’s democracy in his keynote speech. “China supports the diversity of democratic practice and sees the nexus between the attainment of people’s aspirations and the level of social development that is capable of supporting it,” he said.
Wang Shaoguang, professor emeritus at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, emphasized the principle of “from the masses and to the masses” in China’s democratic practices. “Representatives of the people are from the masses and to the masses,” Wang said, referring to China’s people-centered philosophy of governance.
Stephen Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, noted in his video speech, “I think China is on its way to a good form of democracy. It hears its people, and it tends to do what its people want.”
Cautions Against Imposing Democratic Models
Keynote speakers warned of the dangers of imposing a specific model of democracy on other countries and highlighted drawbacks in certain Western-style democratic systems.
Massimo D’Alema, former Prime Minister of Italy, remarked, “Our model, precisely because it is the result of a long and peculiar historical process, cannot be exported and imposed in other parts of the world,” citing the experiences in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East.
He explored reasons behind the waning credibility of some Western democratic models, pointing to the erosion of consensus as a basis for democratic compromise within societies. Quoting Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz, D’Alema warned of the risk of transitioning from the democratic principle of “one head, one vote” to “one dollar, one vote.”
Echoing this sentiment, Ong Tee Keat criticized the present model of electoral democracy often touted as a universal benchmark. “Unfortunately, this turns out to be a fallacy,” he said.
Calls for Multipolar Global Governance
Speakers also highlighted deficiencies in current global governance structures and called for building a multipolar world to better address global challenges.
Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva noted that despite significant changes in the global landscape, reform of international organizations has lagged. “We have so many emerging countries and economies that are now very influential and more relevant to global affairs, yet continue to be underrepresented in these organizations,” he said. “It is time to correct this imbalance because it is only fair and more democratic.”
D’Alema emphasized the necessity of transitioning to a multipolar world in today’s interconnected era. “This is the real international dimension of democracy… to govern together a multipolar reality,” he stated.
An online poll conducted by China Global Television Network (CGTN) reflected similar views, with 84.3 percent of respondents believing that various methods of democracy exist in different countries and cultures, and that there is no superior model or one-size-fits-all political system.
