Human Rights in China:Exploration and Development of Whole-process People’s Democracy

Whole-process people’s democracy represents a new exploration of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as well as a novel and important method for protecting the human rights of the Chinese people.It is conducive to solving a multitude of problems hindering the protection of civil rights and political rights.The greatest highlight of whole-process people’s democracy is that the people are the masters of their own country and exercise the power to govern the state through“extensive participation and consultation.”China’s experience and approaches in advancing whole-process people’s democracy provide a reference for other countries.

The Core of the Chinese Democracy Is to Respect and Protect Human Rights——A Summary of the Academic Seminar on Chinese Democracy and Human Rights Protection

On March 26,2023,a Seminar on Chinese Democracy and Human Rights Protection was held,jointly organized by the National Human Rights Education and Training Base and the Human Rights Research Center of Central South University under the guidance of the Chinese Society for Human Rights Studies.The event adopted a combination of online and offline channels.Over 30 experts and scholars from universities,research institutions,and practical departments across the country participated in extensive discussions on“Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Chinese Democracy and Protection of Human Rights.”The seminar aimed to focused on the essence,characteristics,advantages,and human rights implications of Chinese democracy and interpreted the concept of Chinese democracy and the protection of human rights through academic and theoretical methods.

On the Whole-Process People’s Democracy and the Construction of Citizens’ Cultural Quality

The Whole-Process People’s Democracy has become an important proposition of the socialist modernization democratic theory with Chinese characteristics,and has important value for the development of the new form of human civilization.The Whole-Process People’s Democracy is not only a“democracy”system,its focus is to achieve“people’s democracy”,its unique feature is to surpass“non process”democracy with the“Whole-Process”,and create a new governance path of a new form of human civilization.Of course,the emphasis of people’s democracy on the consciousness of people’s subjective participation in the whole process also puts forward corresponding requirements for the cultural quality construction of Chinese social citizens in the new era,so it is also of great significance to pay attention to the cultivation of citizens’public spirit.

On the Process and Rights in the Whole-process People’s Democracy

Theoretically, the whole-process people’s democracy involves five processes, namely, political process, policy process, urban and rural community governance process, enterprises and institutions management process, and international exchange process. Fach process includes several links which involve different democratic rights. To comprehensively promote the whole-process people’s democracy, it is necessary to make a detailed distinction between the democratic rights of each process, build a corresponding system and mechanism for the protection of rights, improve the ability of people in democracy, and establish the system and mechanism for evaluating the effect of democracy implementation.

On the Human Rights Implications of the Whole-process People’s Democracy

The whole-process people’s democracy is a prerequisite for the people’s democracy.It is the organic unity of process and outcome democracy,procedural and substantive democracy,direct and indirect democracy,as well as the people’s democracy and the will of the state.The whole-process people’s democracy is the latest theoretical expression of the concept of socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,a new achievement in the practice of socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,a new development of the system of the socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,and a new contribution to the development path of human rights in the world.

The Legal Dimensions of Whole-Process People’s Democracy

The concept of whole-process people’s democracy can be analyzed in terms of four the rule of law dimensions:continuous democracy,authentic democracy,extensive democracy and consultative democracy.Continuous democracy means that democracy provides a continuous and uninterrupted mechanism in terms of stage,time and space,which can ensure the continuous participation of the people in the management of state and social affairs.Authentic democracy is not only embodied creation of opportunities and conditions for the people to have more channels and methods of participation in the management of state and social affairs,but is also reflected in the process of democratic practice,including the protection of legitimate rights and interests of the minority.Extensive democracy means that the people are fully and deeply involved in the management of state and social affairs as well as their own affairs,from the operation of the state system to social life at the community level,and from pre-election to post-election.Consultative democracy is a means of realizing people’s democracy in the whole process.It applies consultation and seeks truth,aiming at building consensus.Moreover,it integrates various channels of consultation,and integrates democracy into all aspects of the work of the Communist Party of China(CPC)and government and in all aspects of the people’s political and social life.

Promoting Whole-Process People’s Democracy Following the Rule of Law

Whole-process people’s democracy profoundly reflects the features of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics,and comprehensively and systematically reveals the concept of people’s democracy as providing important mechanisms of national and social governance.Based on the traditional democratic understanding of democracy as majority rule,whole-process people’s democracy emphasizes the universality and extensive range of democratic governance,but also has the natural value defects of democratic value itself.Therefore,we must organically combine democracy with the values of the rule of law and human rights,to build a well-defined governance order based on people’s democratic value.The whole process in the“whole-process people’s democracy”has really resolved the situation of people’s“absence”from many links of state power operation caused by over-emphasizing the election-democracy in the Western capitalist democratic system.Through the people’s extensive participation and effective supervision,the state power operation mechanism based on the fundamental political system,the people’s congress system,has been ensured to be always in the framework of people’s democratic governance.This effectively realizes the people’s sovereignty and is consistent with the declaration that“all power in the People’s Republic of China(PRC)belongs to the people,”stipulated in the Constitution of China.To improve the governance efficiency of whole-process people’s democracy in practice,we must bring it onto the rule of law,and use the rule of law philosophy and methods to reasonably and effectively resolve all kinds of theoretical and practical problems.