In contrast to the checks and balance of power that frequently result in political stagnation in some Western countries, China's central government, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate answer to the NPC and are supervised by it. This vertical design has the advantages of uniting different forces in governance and avoiding internal friction.
China also brings legislature into line with the country's reform which is key to promoting development.
For instance, the top legislature issued decisions in 2013 and 2014 on pilot free trade zones and elevated the reform measures tested in the zones into provisions of law after the government gained experience from the trials. Now China has 11 free trade zones which have encouraged more foreign enterprises to operate in the country.
At the on-going NPC session, lawmakers are mulling establishing a national supervisory commission to better ensure development with enhanced anti-graft efforts.
CONSULTATIVE DEMOCRACY
Chinese democracy goes far beyond electoral democracy, and includes consultation as a virtue. It occurs in every corner of the country.
There are more than 2,100 political advisors to the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, representing all of the 56 ethnic groups of China. About 60 percent of these political advisors are not members of the CPC. The list also includes entrepreneurs, artists and scholars, among others.
Before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered the government work report to the NPC, several rounds of seminars were held to consult representatives from all walks of life on the draft report. Chinese leaders also listened to lawmakers and political advisors' opinions on the report in a face-to-face manner before it was submitted for approval.
Over the past five years, the non-communist parties have launched a series of supervisory investigations on issues such as health care, education, regional economic integration, and poverty reduction.
The investigation reports often go directly to the CPC Central Committee or the State Council and many helped in formulating policies and laws, according to Wan Exiang, chairperson of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang.
Consultative democracy also includes self-governance at the grassroots level through village committees.
According to China's Organic Law of Village Committees, self-governance in rural areas is ensured with elections conducted, decisions adopted, administration maintained and supervision exercised by democratic means.
The village committees manage the public affairs and public welfare undertakings, mediate disputes, help maintain public order, and convey the villagers' opinions and demands and make suggestions to the government.
For Wang Wenming, 50, head of Maoyang Village in east China's Zhejiang Province, full consultations can lead to reversal of public opinions.
The village intended to undertake renovations in 2016, including cleaning up polluted rivers and waste. However, during the first consultation no progress was made.
"Why should we spend so much money on renovations? A village should be a village," some argued.
"The program cannot be carried out without the approval of most villagers," Wang said.
Party members then frequently explained the need to create a healthy living environment and took the lead in neighborhood renovations.Gradually, most villagers were persuaded, giving their approval at the second democratic meeting. The renovation program was completed in June last year and earned much praise.
As the rule of law is promoted in the countryside, the country has seen a new generation of farmers who have a deeper understanding of democracy, said Xu Yong, a professor at China Institute of Rural Studies at Central China Normal University.
CAPABLE GOVERNMENT
Democracy is not a decoration, but a means of solving problems.
China has a long political tradition of selecting and appointing talent, establishing a merit-based "selection plus election" system with a special focus on public opinion. The items for assessment include, but are not limited to, economic development, job creation, social security, and environmental protection.
The system works. Capable cadres are selected and elected to serve the people.
The Chinese government scored highest in a poll of 27 countries on public trust, with about 84 percent of Chinese having trust in the government, the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer survey found.
The true meaning of people's democracy is finding the best way to coordinate the aspirations and demands of the whole of society and making decisions that conform to the long-term interest of the people, said Xu Yaotong, professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance.
China's socialist democracy is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective democracy to safeguard the fundamental interests of the people, according to the report to the 19th CPC National Congress held in October.
For Li Shimo, a venture entrepreneur based in Shanghai, China's success has shown there is more than one model of democracy in the world that can produce good governance. "China's example shows alternatives exist."
