On 28 December 2021, the website of Media Information Agency of North Macedonia carried a signed article by Ambassador Zhang Zuo entitled “China’s Whole-Process People’s Democracy Highlights Chinese Wisdom, Contributes to the Progress of Human Political Civilization”. The full text is as follows:

The Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) emphasized the development of whole-process people’s democracy. The essence of whole-process people’s democracy is to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. This is a red line that runs through the major achievements and historical experience of the CPC in the past century. As President Xi Jinping pointed out on many international occasions, China’s whole-process people’s democracy is “the broadest, most genuine and most effective socialist democracy” , contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to the practice of democratic politics.

First, persisting in advancing the construction of whole-process people’s democracy.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that “ Democracy is the common value of all mankind, and an important concept that the CPC and the Chinese people have consistently adhered to ”. Since its founding, the CPC has always held high the banner of people’s democracy, remained true to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and made unremitting exploration and struggle to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded. From then on, hundreds of millions of Chinese people have truly become the masters of the country, of society, and of their own fate. This is a great achievement in the construction of China’s socialist democratic politics and it is also a fundamental prerequisite for the further development of whole-process people’s democracy. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a set of institutional systems was gradually established to ensure and support people’s status as masters of the country. During a visit to Hongqiao Street in Changning District, Shanghai in 2019, President Xi Jinping pointed out that people’s democracy is a whole-process democracy, leading China on a democratic road to develop whole-process people’s democracy.

The development of whole-process people’s democracy is a new form of political civilization created by China. Firstly, ensuring people’s status as masters of the country is the essence and core of Chinese democracy. The CPC has always adhered to the people-centered principle and the dominant status of the people. It has continuously deepened its understanding of the law of the development of democratic politics, ensuring that the concepts, principles, and policies of people’s democracy are implemented in all aspects of the country’s political and social life, and promoting the development of whole-process people’s democracy. Secondly, making use of institutional systems to ensure people’s status as masters of the country. The CPC has always insisted on governing for the people and relying on the people to govern, continue to promote the institutionalization, standardization and proceduralization of socialist democratic politics, and improve the comprehensive and consistent system of ensuring people’s status as masters of the country. China’s whole-process people’s democracy not only has complete system procedures, but also complete participation in practice. Thirdly, being equipped with the effective operation mechanism of whole-process people’s democracy. With the organic unity of the party’s leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and the rule of law, we integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works. Fourthly, following the path of democratic development in line with the country’s national conditions. Embarking on the new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, there is a stronger confidence of Chinese people in Chinese democracy. China will continue to promote the building of whole-process people’s democracy, concretely and realistically reflect the principle of the people being masters of the country in the Party’s governance policies and measures, in all aspects of the work of Party and state organs at all levels, and in the efforts to meet the people’s expectation for a better life.

Second, building the all-round democracy involving complete institutional procedures.

People’s democracy is the glorious banner that the CPC has always held high. After a hundred years of hard work, especially since the reform and opening up, the CPC has led the people to form a complete institutional chain for the development of whole-process people’s democracy. China implements people’s democratic dictatorship and adheres to the unity of democracy and dictatorship to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. In China, the people’s status as masters of the country is the bedrock of all the systems of the country, and underlies the operation of all the systems for state governance. Whole-process people’s democracy involves complete institutional procedures. On September 21, 2021, President Xi Jinping pointed out at the general debate of the 76th United Nations General Assembly that “Democracy is not the patent of any country, but the rights of the people of all countries”. The recent international situation has once again proved that external military intervention and so-called democratic transformation are extremely harmful. The complete institutional chain of whole-process people’s democracy is in line with the essence of people’s democracy, and it has a broad social foundation and great political potential.

China’s political system provides a comprehensive and reliable system guarantee for whole-process people’s democracy. Firstly, China adopts the System of People’s Congress. The National People’s Congress and local people’s congresses at all levels are the organs through which the people exercise state power. The distinctive feature and outstanding advantage of this basic political system of China is that the party’s propositions, the will of the people,