The political consultation system, a specific mode of building democracy, is China's major contribution to the world, said Li Junru, a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"The top political advisory body consists of elites from China's political parties, social and ethnic groups and people from different walks of life," said Li, also vice president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Many of the political advisors, outspoken and insightful, have made valuable suggestions and penetrating judgment to help the ruling party and government in their work, he said.

"Five years into the CPPCC, I myself have thoroughly studied the political consultation system and clearly felt its advantages in promoting democracy in China," said Li.

The Western academia, he observed, has been studying theories of "deliberative democracy" in recent years, mainly because the conventional, voting-centered system has fallen behind the people's increasing demand for democracy.

"The 'deliberative democracy' is similar to the Chinese political consultation system in many ways," Li said, "but our system has been in practice for more than 50 years."

"As far as democracy is concerned, we should learn from the West but must not underestimate ourselves."

China, in pushing forward its reform and opening up since the late 1970s, has made considerable achievements in its political reform, from abolishing the "People's Commune" to the admission of more private business people and migrants to its political hierarchy.

"But political reform is a system engineering project far more complicated and arduous than economic restructuring," said Li. "To push ahead the reform, we need to be clear of where we're heading, and find out the most practical way of achieving democracy in China."

Democracy has to be conducive to the well-being of the people, vitality and stability of the society, as well as unity and prosperity of the country, he said.

"We must not blindly copy any political action or means of democracy that fails to meet these goals, regardless of their appealing names and alluring propaganda," Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2008)