On Monday, China released a report on the state of US democracy in 2022, in which it said that American democracy had faced “further decline.”
Key Findings
Pointing to events in 2022, the report said that the “vicious cycle of democratic pretensions, dysfunctional politics and a divided society” had continued in the US.
It added that “maladies,” such as “money politics, identity politics, social rifts, and the gulf between the rich and poor,” had “worsened,” which revealed Washington’s “failure and institutional defects.”
In this light, China claimed that “despite mounting problems at home,” the US continues to “behave with a sense of superiority” in the international arena, including pointing fingers at others, lecturing others on democracy, and hyping up the “false narrative” of democracy versus authoritarianism.
The latest report also accused the US of using “manoeuvres driven by hidden agenda” including by “playing bloc politics and using democracy as a tool for political ends” to safeguard its hegemony.
#China's MOF on Monday released a report titled "The State of #Democracy in the #UnitedStates: 2022." Based on facts, media comments and expert opinions, the report aims to present a real picture of American #democracy over the past year.#US
— Voice of the People (@VoiceofPD) March 20, 2023
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US’ Democratic Shortcomings
China’s assessment of US’ democracy found that its judicial system is “blind” to public opinion, freedom of speech is a facade, and that political polarisation in the country has intensified due to partisan fights.
Further, it concluded that the US’ imposition of its own idea of democracy has caused “chaos” globally, including inciting confrontation and conflict in the name of democracy and holding foreign policy hostage by political polarisation.
No Standard for Democracy
The report stated that just like the US “has American-style democracy,” China “has Chinese-style democracy,” and other countries “have their own unique models of democracy that suit their respective national conditions.”
“It should be up to the people of a country to judge whether the country is democratic or not and how to better promote democracy in their country. The few self-righteous countries have no right to point fingers,” it underscored.