Zheng Yongnian: China should insist on democracy that suits its national conditions

China has never denied the importance of democratic rights, but it has emphasized that they will come in stages and in a way that works best for the country. At present, the right to development is the most important, said Zheng Yongnian, a professor of political science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen).

The Western world has chosen the current form of democracy after centuries of explorations. Before World War I, only a limited number of citizens in Western countries had the right to vote. Women and minority groups had no voting rights. Even in the US, "one man, one vote" started in the 1970s thanks to the US civil rights movement.

The West has always assumed its values are universal and forced other countries and regions to follow them. That's why Washington has been carrying out "democracy tests" around the world, which invariably have ended in failure, leaving many countries and regions in a mess. Afghanistan is the latest example.

The remarkable achievements China has made since the founding of the People's Republic show the Party is right and should be more confident of the path it has chosen, said Zheng.