Beijing, November 24th--Zhu Rui, Assistant-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), attended and addressed here today the thematic session on “upholding people’s democracy and promoting common development” via video link. More than 40 leaders from 23 political parties of 11 Arab countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, attended the session. Experts from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Beijing Foreign Studies University delivered speeches on relevant topics.

Zhu Rui said that democracy is the common value of mankind that can be realized in various forms. It lies in the ideas in Islam and ancient China. Both Arab countries and China explored democracy in the procession of striving for national independence and prosperity. Whether a country is democratic or not should only be judged by its own people. China is firmly against instrumentalizing or weaponizing democracy, and interfering in other countries’ internal affairs and suppressing others’ development, which is not democracy but hegemony. With a commitment to whole-process people’s democracy, the CPC has blazed a democracy trail with Chinese characteristics, contributing to the common development of countries all over the world while making its own progress. The CPC is ready to work with political parties of Arab countries to enhance communication and mutual learning, practice people’s democracy, implement the Global Development Initiative, enhance the common development of China and Arab countries, promote democracy in international relations, and jointly champion international fairness and justice.

The Arab side congratulated the CPC on the convocation of the sixth plenary session of the CPC Central Committee, and spoke highly of the achievements and experience of the CPC’s endeavors over the past century. The Arab side praised the whole-process people’s democracy of China, applauded the CPC for always prioritizing the interests of people and upholding true people’s democracy, and stressed that democracy is not the patent of Western countries and that all countries are entitled to explore their paths to democracy independently in accordance with their national conditions. Some Western countries try to impose western democracy on other countries, which brings severe agony to them and is doomed to failure. Political parties of Arab countries are ready to promote communication and cooperation with China, join hands to build a diverse system of democracy and a community with a shared future for mankind.

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