12. On Democracy:The West marks the beginning of democracy; the East represents its future.

Democracy is an ideal, a goal, and the inevitable path for humanity toward universal harmony.

From an ideological perspective, democracy rejects theocracy and monarchy, universally recognizing that without citizens, a state cannot exist; without citizens' consent, a government holds no legitimate power. Citizens are the core of the state, and everything in the state derives from them. Democracy makes people understand that the sole necessity for a government's existence is to safeguard citizens' welfare, and citizens have the right to overthrow the government at any time. Democracy frees people from fearing governmental tyranny, from yearning for enlightened rulers, and from waiting for salvation. It teaches that freedom must be defended by citizens themselves, rights must be claimed by citizens themselves, and happiness must be pursued by citizens themselves. Democracy makes clear that within the bounds of law, citizens may act as they will, while government must tread cautiously. Democracy stands as the greatest idea in human intellectual history―only democracy can guide humanity toward the ideal of universal harmony.

From the perspective of objectives, achieving democracy requires corresponding institutions. Without democratic institutions, democratic ideals cannot be realized. Although every citizen in a democratic society has equal opportunity to become a social administrator, ultimately only a small group will exercise social power. The core challenge of democracy is ensuring that this small group, when exercising power, aims to achieve the welfare of all citizens and treats all citizens fairly and justly.

To achieve this goal, advanced democratic nations, exemplified by Europe and America, commonly employ systems including: the rule of law, separation of powers, judicial independence, representative government, electoral systems, party systems, term limits, local autonomy, protection of private property, and safeguarding of civil liberties. It is precisely the implementation of these systems that, to a significant extent, ensures democracy is realized. However, these systems cannot fully achieve the goals of democracy. The persistent social issues in Western nations, such as the wealth gap and political polarization, reveal that their democracy is far from perfect.

Moreover, are the systems of Western nations the only path to democracy? Do they represent the final form of democratic governance? Are there alternative systems capable of realizing democracy?

If democracy is the destination, then any system that reaches that destination should be considered democratic. The specific form of that system should be open and diverse, not closed and uniform. Judging whether a country is democratic should not be based solely on Western models. The West pioneered democracy for humanity, but this marks only the beginning. The myriad problems plaguing Western societies reveal the imperfections of their democracy, while the East holds the potential to shape democracy's future. Any system that safeguards citizens' personal and property rights, grants them full freedom, provides equal opportunities, and ensures equitable treatment is inherently democratic. Such a society constitutes a democratic society, and such a nation is a democratic nation.

Democracy represents humanity's forward trajectory, while autocracy will inevitably become a relic of the past. For China to advance toward a democratic future, learning from the West is essential. Within China's traditional political systems, aside from the禅让制度 (system of abdication) practiced between Yao, Shun, and Yu, the foundational principles of all other institutions bear no connection to democracy. The West, however, offers a different path. As early as ancient Greece, Western societies established effective democratic institutions, and today's Western democracy traces its roots directly to this ancient Greek legacy. Western nations' proven systems―separation of powers, judicial independence, electoral systems, term limits, and press freedom―can undoubtedly be directly referenced or adopted by China. Yet while learning from these excellent Western democratic institutions, we must also recognize their imperfections. These flaws are not insurmountable; China can refine these systems while learning from them. China can not only refine existing Western systems but also create democratic institutions unique to itself, thereby achieving a form of democracy that surpasses the Western model.

Why must China surpass Western democracy? Because only in this way can China truly maintain its status as a global power. Otherwise, China will forever remain a second-rate nation. A true great power is one whose cultural and institutional systems exert global influence. History repeatedly demonstrates that military force can defeat or destroy a nation, but it cannot conquer it. What conquers a nation is its system and culture. Therefore, if China merely learns without surpassing, it will become the party assimilated by the world, rather than the one assimilating the world. For the process of learning from the West is inherently one of assimilation by the West. To reverse this process and assimilate the world, China must create a democratic system superior to the West's―one universally accepted by nations and peoples worldwide. When the world turns to study China's democratic system, that is when China will assimilate the world. Only when China's system assimilates the world can China truly claim the status of a first-rate global power. For a nation like China, historically adept at assimilating other peoples, learning from the West and then assimilating the world is no difficult task.

Therefore, learning from Western democracy and surpassing it is the true path to democracy for China.