Decoding Xieshang Minzhu in Chinese Politics: Chinese vs. Western Conceptions of Deliberative Democracy

Abstract

This article explores the significance of xieshang minzhu, the Chinese term for deliberative democracy. As this term is also closely connected to the political tradition of the Communist Party of China (CPC), its use has caused confusion in Chinese contexts. Specifically, the CPC has transformed the meaning of deliberative democracy to comply with the party line. Based on a review of official documents from the years 1987 to 2018, I argue that the CPC controls the interpretation of deliberative democracy in China by monopolizing the meaning of xieshang minzhu. This discursive strategy serves two purposes. On one hand, the official documents have prescribed a specific genealogy of xieshang minzhu within the CPC’s political tradition; on the other hand, by consistently claiming that China does not copy anything from the West but only learns useful lessons from human civilizations in general, the CPC creates a safeguard against Western influences.