Chinese envoy to Portugal defends China's whole-process democracy

LISBON - The whole-process people's democracy will provide guidance for developing socialist democracy and political civilization in the new epoch of China's history, Chinese Ambassador to Portugal Zhao Bentang has said.

In a recent opinion piece in Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias, Zhao stressed that the whole-process people's democracy accords with China's long-term practice of promoting socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics.

The whole-process people's democracy, representing interests of the people as a whole, has deeply rooted in Chinese traditional people-centered philosophy, Zhao explained, adding that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has taken "the pursuit of happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" as the core of its mission ever since its founding.

The diplomat noted the Chinese-style democracy has been carried out with solid institutional guarantees in a complete process of political practice, from democratic elections, consultation, decision-making, management to supervision.

As the world's second largest economy, China has demonstrated that the whole-process people's democracy has been a driving force behind the two magic achievements -- rapid economic development and robust social security.

China is willing to initiate dialogues with countries worldwide based on mutual respect and equality, firmly support them to seek political systems and development paths that best suit their conditions, and make greater contributions to the political advancement of humankind, Zhao said.