Xi Jinping’s ‘Whole-Process Democracy’: A Rubber-Stamp Illusion of Progress
On September 14, Xi Jinping celebrated the 70th anniversary of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), praising it as a major innovation in global politics and a historic shift towards people-led governance. Xi emphasized the need to strengthen confidence in the NPC system, claiming it represents a transformative achievement. However, the NPC is widely seen as a rubber-stamp body with limited real power, merely validating decisions made by the Communist Party. Historically, the NPC’s representation ratio has favored urban over rural delegates, a disparity even more pronounced than the U.S. pre-Civil War "Three-Fifths Compromise." Recent reforms equalizing representation have been largely symbolic. Xi’s insistence on promoting confidence in the NPC reflects underlying insecurity, as the Communist Party’s “red lines,” including political systems, indicate fear of change. The international media’s indifference to this "whole-process democracy" highlights its perceived superficiality and lack of genuine democratic substance.
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