Abstract
When the People’s Republic of China was excluded from US president Biden’s guest list for the virtual Summit for Democracy in December 2021, it reacted with a detailed self-depiction of the Chinese political system as a “Democracy That Works” to rebut US claims to be the world’s leading democracy. While the international media saw this as a surprise narrative, China’s “democratic” self-image has a long trajectory going back to the days of Mao Zedong and now elaborated more systematically under Xi Jinping. Based on a close reading of Chinese party-state documents, white papers, state media coverage, etc., this article analyzes the official career of the concept of “democracy” in Chinese Communist Party jargon and dissects the messages targeted at domestic and international audiences. It finds that the official self-depiction of “Chinese democracy” does not contradict, but rather complements the legitimation of Communist Party rule at home, buffering nationalist sentiments there. Despite its lack of persuasiveness vis-à-vis Western audiences, its underlying criticism of US democracy, and its subtle claims regarding China’s global leadership, the official vision might gain traction among other emerging powers and developing countries.
Highlights
When US president Joseph Biden launched his virtual Summit for Democracy in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was not among the more than one hundred invited guests
Five days before the summit, the State Council Information Office, one of the external arms of the party’s propaganda apparatus, published a white paper on “Chinese democracy” (Zhongguo de minzhu), with the title translated into English as “China: Democracy That Works” (SCIO 2022)
To understand the self-image of “Chinese democracy,” the article offers a textual analysis of official documents provided by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organs and the propaganda apparatus that deal with the concept of “democracy” in the context of the Chinese party-state
Summary
When US president Joseph Biden launched his virtual Summit for Democracy in December 2021, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was not among the more than one hundred invited guests. Democracy in China appears to most outside observers as an oxymoron Against this backdrop, the objective of this article is to analyze China’s self-perceptions and worldviews as a major global power, not to normatively evaluate Chinese democracy or euphemize official attempts at political selflegitimation. To understand the self-image of “Chinese democracy,” the article offers a textual analysis of official documents provided by CCP organs and the propaganda apparatus that deal with the concept of “democracy” in the context of the Chinese party-state They include important speeches by party-state leaders, resolutions and other documents emanating from party meetings and other official events, state media coverage, and propaganda material such as white papers, wall posters, or video clips. Making sense of the self-perceptions and worldviews of China’s party-state leadership, and being aware of their visions, narratives and self-portrayals, appears to be the unavoidable first step
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