Western model not the only form of democracy

Editor's note: The so-called Summit for Democracy convened by US President Joe Biden reflects his dangerous Cold War mentality and will instigate confrontation and political division within the international community. The move by the United States to divide the world into "democratic" and "undemocratic" camps by using its own standard reveals its attempts to preserve its global hegemony. Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

For decades after World War II, the world had been made to believe that Western democracy is the key to success of nationhood and is the bedrock of global governance. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Japanese-American political economist Francis Fukuyama even went to the extent of declaring Western liberal democracy as the ultimate form of government.

Nonetheless, the myth he propagated in his The End of History and the Last Man was short-lived because of China, a rising economic power with a different polity after its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. That its political system is different from Western-style democracy has not prevented its economic success despite all odds, including the United States trade wars and the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, it was the only major economy to achieve positive economic growth in 2020.