China issues 1st White Paper aimed at political reforms
From Max Lee
The Daily Mail’s
Special Correspondent in Beijing


BEIJING—The Information Office of China's State Council issued Wednesday a white paper on China's political democracy (full text), vowing to actively push forward the reforms of its political system although, it said, tremendous achievements had been scored in this regard. The white paper, issued by the Information Office of China's State Council, or the cabinet, is the first of its kind in China, giving a detailed account of the inception, development and contents of the socialist political democracy and the principles the country will abide by. The document, titled Building of Political Democracy in China, also points out the problems the country has to overcome and major steps to be taken in the reforms of its political system. The socialist political democracy "is the apt choice suited to China's conditions and meeting the requirement of social progress," said the white paper.
Such democracy has enabled the Chinese people, who account for one fifth of the world's population, "to become masters of their own country and society, and enjoy extensive democratic rights, " the white paper says. In building socialist political democracy, China has always adhered to the basic principal that the Marxist theory of democracy be combined with the reality of China, it says. In the process, China has also borrowed from the useful achievements of the political civilization of mankind, including Western democracy, and assimilated the democratic elements of from China's traditional culture and institutional civilization. "Therefore, China's socialist political democracy shows distinctive Chinese characteristics," says the white paper. Such characteristics are as follows:

— China's democracy is a people's democracy under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
— China's democracy is a democracy in which the overwhelming majority of the people act as masters of State affairs.
— China's democracy is a democracy guaranteed by the people's democratic dictatorship.
— China's democracy is a democracy with democratic centralism as the basic organizational principle and mode of operation. The white paper says the CPC's leading status was established gradually in the protracted struggle and practice of the Chinese people in pursuing national independence, prosperity and a happy life. "It was a choice made by history and by the people," the document notes. Over the past 20 years and more, great progress has been made in China's practice in building a socialist democratic political system, the white paper says, providing a list of the achievements. It points to the fact that the system of the people's congresses, the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, and the system of regional autonomy for ethnic minorities
— all important components of China's democratic system — have been continuously improved and developed.
The democratic rights of people at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas have been constantly increased, and the citizens' basic rights are respected and guaranteed. The CPC's capability to rule the country in a democratic manner has been enhanced further, while the government's capability to administer the country in a democratic manner has been strengthened noticeably. "Major aspects of China's politics, economics, culture and social life are now within the purview of the rule of law," says the white paper. "Despite the tremendous achievements scored in building a socialist political democracy, the CPC and the Chinese people are clearly aware of the many problems yet to be overcome," the document notes.
The major ones include: the democratic system is not yet perfect; the people's right to manage state and social affairs, economic and cultural undertakings as masters of the country in a socialist market economy are not yet fully realized; laws that have already been enacted are sometimes not fully observed or enforced, and violations of the law sometimes go unpunished. The white paper also admits "bureaucracy and corruption still exist and spread in some departments and localities”. It also points out that the mechanism of restraint and supervision over the use of power needs further improvement and the concept of democracy and legal awareness of the whole of Chinese society needs to be further enhanced. "There is still a long way to go in China's building of political democracy, which will be a historical process of continuous improvement and development," says the white paper. According to the document, at present, and for a period in the days to come, the CPC and the Chinese government "will actively and steadily push forward the reform of the political system”. They will also stick to and improve the socialist democratic system, strengthen and improve the socialist legal system, reform and improve the methods of leadership and rule of the CPC, reform and improve the government's decision-making mechanism.
The white paper also stresses the importance of the reform of the system of administrative management, the reform of the judicial system, the reform of the cadre and personnel system, and the restraint and supervision over the power. According to the white paper, China's building of political democracy will abide by the following principles:
— Upholding the unity of the leadership of the CPC, the people being the masters of the country and ruling the country by law.
— Giving play to the characteristics and advantages of the socialist system.
— Being conducive to social stability, economic development and continuous improvement of the people's life.
— Facilitating the safeguarding of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and state dignity.
— Being in accord with the objective law of progress step by step and in an orderly way.
The white paper consists of 12 parts, including the people's congress system, the system of ethnic regional autonomy, grassroots democracy in urban and rural areas, and respecting and safeguarding human rights.

China postpones Japanese FM’s trip
Bureau Report

BEIJING—China yesterday postponed a planned visit by the Japanese foreign minister in response to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni shrine, a symbol of militarism.
Japan's Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura was scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Sunday for a two-day visit.
However, "given the current situation, it is not the proper time for such a visit and it is not convenient for China to receive him," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said.
Beijing has repeatedly called on Tokyo to do more to atone for its war atrocities. It lodged a strong protest on Monday immediately after Koizumi's visit to the shrine, where 14 Class A war criminals of World War II are honoured.
The visit, the fifth during Koizumi's term as prime minister, which began in 2001, prompted a furious protest from China, with Kong calling it "a damage to the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations”.
Despite the protest, nearly 200 Japanese lawmakers prayed at the notorious shrine yesterday, one day after Koizumi's visit.
The group included leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a handful of opposition lawmakers.
Kong said China is strongly opposed to Japanese leaders paying tributes to the shrine "at anytime, in any form”.
The spokesman said Koizumi must shoulder all the responsibility for the serious damage done to the bilateral ties.
But media reports from Tokyo said that Japan would continue to prepare for Machimura's trip to China.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the top Japanese Government spokesman, was quoted as saying the visit was "still in the process of being coordinated”.
Machimura's visit was intended to be a fence-mending trip and it is reported that he had hoped to pave the way for a meeting between Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Top-level exchanges between the two countries have been stalled since Koizumi began paying annual visits to the shrine in 2001.
Kong also revealed that China has sent its envoy to Pyongyang for a three-day visit aimed at preparing for the next round of nuclear disarmament talks.
Li Bin, Chinese ambassador in charge of Korean Peninsula affairs, will also visit the United States and the Republic of Korea, two other participants in the talks, later in the month.
The main agenda of Li's visit is to hold talks with officials responsible for the Six-Party Talks to work out joint approaches and prepare for the fifth round in early November.