Building Bridges and Filling Chasms

– a Bold Work Discussing Democracy in China

By LI CHENXI

Title: Democracy and China

Author: Liu Jianfei

178 pages, hardcover

RMB 48

Published by New World Press in July 2011

THERE is a war of words between China and Western countries on the definition of democracy and the best form for its presentation and implementation. It is a subject surrounded by controversy. Liu Jianfei, however, has taken on this intractable task in his rigorous new exposition Democracy and China, in which he examines China's democracy in a global context, paying particular attention to China-U.S. relations.

In his book, Liu, deputy director of the International Strategic Research Institute at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, presents a thorough analysis of the development of Chinese democracy, setting out its achievements and problems as well as the confusion that surrounds it along with a mass of data supporting his arguments.

Prof. Liu has been studying the introduction of democratic politics to China and China- U.S. relations since the late 1990s. His research on the ideological diplomacy of the U.S. , focusing in particular on policies towards China, has brought him to the conclusion that the twists and turns in the U.S.-China relationship can be attributed to its misgivings toward socia-list countries. This sentiment intensified particularly after the U.S. no longer regarded China as a necessary ally with regards to containing the former Soviet Union. An increasing sense of threat has been growing as this big socialist country failed to replicate the regime changes seen in Eastern Europe in the early 1990s, and instead has been developing at full throttle through reforms and opening-up.

After the Cold War, U.S. diplomatic strategy has been mainly embodied by its promotion of Western democracy worldwide, and this was even one of the three central pillars of the Clinton administration's foreign policy. As the world's only major socialist country, China has naturally been a key target for this American campaign. To main-stream American strategists, a communist-led country is an authoritarian state, all the more threatening due to its powerful ideology and stronger organization than those authoritarian states with a monarch or a military leader at the national helm.

This makes it seem like there is little hope for cooperation between the U.S. and China with regards to democracy, but, considering its importance,no effort should be spared to find the common ground of the two political systems to solve discord, no matter how incompatible China and U.S interests may seem.

Liu uses this attitude as a jumping off point in his investigation into democracy in China, touring a dozen regions across the country collecting information about local democratic development firsthand. He also visited several Western countries with long histories of democracy, where he spoke with local academics and politicians.

In the book, Liu examines the interaction and influences between China's development of democratic politics and its relations with other countries, coming to the opinion that the Chinese and American approaches to democracy are not diametrically opposed. He proposes that the two parties can and should narrow the gap and enter greater cooperation that would benefit them both, and form a constructive communication between China's growing democracy and China-U.S. relations.

Democracy and China is a carefully crafted and comprehensive exposition of the development of Chinese democratic politics and its approach and conclusions caused a stir among Liu's academic peers. Wang Jisi, dean of the School of International Studies at Peking University, commented, "Associating China's development of democratic politics with international strategy has a pioneering significance. It is exciting and thought-provoking in terms of both academic study and policy-making."

Li Junru, former vice-president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, sums up the book's background and content well. "Some people say that the topic of China's democratic politics and China-U.S. relations is a sensitive one. Some say it is an inextricable situation. However, Prof. Liu tells us, democracy is where Chinese and U.S. interests meet, because it is the goal of both countries. They are divided only on the specific issue of how to reach it. "Building bridges and filling chasms should be the attitude and the strategy to be adopted by both parties. This is exactly what this book is doing."

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About Prof. Liu Jianfei: Liu's academic interests involve international strategy, Chiniese diplomacy, American diplomacy and China-U.S. relations. His publications include The United States and Anti-Communism – on American Ideological Diplomacy towards Socialist Countries, Strategic Relations Between China, the United States and Japan in the Early 21st Century, The Great Game – China's Taiji vs. America's Boxing, Evolution of Strategic Relations between China, the U.S. and Japan and Study on the Political System and Major Political Parties of the U.K.