The proof of whether a particular system is good or bad can only be determined by the impact it has on the welfare of the population. China’s State Council Information Office on December 4 released its latest White Paper titled China: Democracy That Works, providing an in-depth picture of the workings of China’s unique consultative and governance system or what is now known as China’s “whole-process people’s democracy.”

Poverty and democracy are both weasel words, obscure in their meaning but strong in their moral connotations. In a world forced into unneeded ideological competition, such words are used to kill debate and inquiry rather than to promote mutual understanding.

As the U.S.-organized “Summit for Democracy” further polarizes an already divided world, democracy has become a buzzword eliciting heated debate. A term derived from ancient Greek, democracy means “rule by the people” or “sovereignty of the people.” Getting at its true essence, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out, “Whether a country is a democracy or not depends on whether its people are really the masters of the country,” when addressing a central conference on work related to people’s congresses in October 2021. As an embodiment of the political advancement of human society, democracy has evolved and been practiced for thousands of years and is still evolving with no universal yardstick agreed upon internationally.

Washington’s Cold War mindset and obsession with Militarism are leading to a dead end. The international situation is changing and a new constellation of forces is emerging but the United States clings to obsolete geopolitical theories and strategies.

Recently I spoke at the Belt and Road Trade and Investment forum in Beijing organised by China Chamber of International Commerce. My focus was on the way the digital silk road and the Belt and Road Initiative enables communities to expand and join the 21st century economy. These communities include those in Central Asia reaching into Europe and the cluster of landlocked hinterlands in other parts of Asia.

Rarely does a day go by without at least one major U.S. news organization reminding its audience of what American politicians believe about China. Summarized briefly, American leaders insist China is a threat to the global community and to the safety of the United States.

The US considers China as its biggest geopolitical challenge in the 21st century. After the end of the Cold War, the US became the sole superpower in the world and its strategic goal, which has not changed over the years, is to ensure that there would not reemerge any adversarial power that is strong enough to threaten US global leadership.

On the 20th anniversary of China joining the World Trade Organization, the BBC ran an article titled “How the West invited China to eat its lunch.” As the title suggests, China’s admission into the WTO is viewed as something detrimental to Western nations.

Since the restoration of the People’s Republic of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations (UN) in 1971, China has made great contributions to the world’s largest intergovernmental organization for global governance over the past 50 years. Siddharth Chatterjee, the UN Resident Coordinator in China, shared his insight of China’s participation in UN in an interview with Sun Chao, a scholar of public diplomacy and special reporter of China Focus. The excerpts of the interview are as follow

A webinar was held on the responsibilities of the media and global media cooperation in the post-pandemic era on Wednesday, gathering media professionals from 12 countries including China, the Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

With the arrival of the new year, there is only about one month to go before the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 are staged. The incessant din created by some countries in politicizing the Games has not thwarted the worldwide passion in and support for the upcoming sports event. This can be seen by the recent declaration of the 10th Olympic Summit that firmly opposed the politicization of the Olympic Games and sports in general.

On December 10, 2021, the Central American country Nicaragua re-established formal diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China following breaking its so-called “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan. Notably, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended in 1990 after Managua switched its official allegiance to Taiwan.

The hope that Christmas 2021 would provide a pre-Pandemic holiday comparable to 2019 is being cruelly undermined. A sense of foreboding stalks many European and other countries as the Omicron variant takes hold. The emergence and exceptional transmissibility of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, is adding further severe stresses to public health systems and hospitals in the United States, South America, Europe, the Indian sub-continent and parts of the Middle East. Fears are mounting that there will be a demoralising new wave of Covid-19 infections.

As the U.S. organized “Summit for Democracy” further polarizes an already divided world, democracy has become a buzzword eliciting heated debate. A term derived from ancient Greek, democracy means “rule by the people” or “sovereignty of the people.”