Step by Step to Democracy in China
By Kent Ewing
HONG KONG - While China’s crackdown on Tibet and heavy-handed approach to dissidents in general have reinforced its international image as a ruthless, totalitarian state ahead of next month’s Summer Olympic Games, the reality on the ground is that the Middle Kingdom has never been more democratic and is, step by small step, becoming even more so.
That reality was bolstered with the recent announcement by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as reported by the official Xinhua News Agency, that it has adopted a “tenure system” that will give real power to traditionally rubber-stamp delegates to party congresses. In the past, party elites made all the decisions. The future could be quite different - but that all depends on implementation of the new system.
Kent Ewing is a teacher and writer at Hong Kong International School. He can be reached at kewing@hkis.edu.hk.
[...] Original post by Chination Report © [...]
Olympic games updates » Blog Archive » Step by Step to Democracy in China
27 Jul 08 at 11:22 am
This article provides some excellent and balanced views about China. It is true that China is not a democratic country by normal definition but the country has been steadily moving in the right direction. We are encouraged to read about China’s progress as you explained here.
Thank you Kent for writing this insightful opinion piece.
Chination
27 Jul 08 at 2:32 pm
Great to see progress over there. Hope a successful Olympics will speed up the process.
Craig B.
4 Aug 08 at 2:00 am