Q:  Why do Chinese citizens believe that Western democracy is a threat to their legitimacy?

A:

The Western democracy did not work for China. China tried them before. On June 11, 1898, China carried out a reform to implement British democracy, the constitutional monarchy. The reform failed on Sept. 22. It is also called the Hundred Days' Reform. The Chinese never think Western democracy is a threat. They first think it is good. But after trying it, they realize it's not working. In 1911, Sun Yat-sen's uprising overthrew the Qing Dynasty, ending the emperor establishement. Sun tried the US democracy, the Republic. It failed again. Then China tried the People’s Republic in 1949, the proletarian democracy. And the democracy works. Since 1949, the People’s Republic of China has not been invaded again. It is not to say there is no threat of imperialist invasion; it is that since 1949, all wars have been on the border outside China’s soil.

The present People’s Democratic dictatorship is the best political system for China. Under this political system, China protected its sovereignty and peace, and achieved industrialization.

Why does the US not change to an institutional monarchy? Do the Americans believe the institutional monarchy is a threat to their legitimacy? Why is the UK not a republican system? Do Britons believe that Republican a thraet to their legitimacy?

The Chinese are very proud of their socialist democracy, or the whole process democracy. They don’t want China to be invaded repeatedly. They wish China could resist any imperialist aggression. They want industrialization, and China’s whole process of democracy enables them to achieve what they want.

From the point of view of the Chinese, democracy means people get what they want. A democratic government carried out the will of the people. In Lincoln’s term, a democratic government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Chinese people want peace, and the Chinese government gives China peace. Chinese people want to get rich, and the Chinese government has eradicated poverty. Chinese want a better life, and now Chinese tourists flood the world. If Chinese people are satisfied with their government, that government is democratic.

Democracy is one of the core values of socialism. Socialist democracy is better than capitalist democracy. Why is China rising while the US is declining? Because China has socialist democracy and the US has capitalist democracy. China has a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The US has a government of the capital, by the capital, and for the capital.

The Chinese never consider that Western democracy has any relevance to the legitimacy of the Chinese government. Whatever political system the West wants is none of the Chinese’s business.

Isn’t Western democracy a threat? Maybe. But not specifically to China. It is also a threat to the US and Europe. The US and the EU are crushed by their democracy. They are too fanatic about their democracy that they are using democracy to solve economic, social, and geopolitical problems. The fanatic use of democracy is bankrupting the EU and deteriorating the US.

Is it a threat to China that makes the Western democracies superior? Why is it a threat to other countries? Is democracy for domestic affairs or a geopolitical tool? Do Western election debade more on foreign affairs than domestic affairs? Will it make Western democracy more important if it is a threat to China?

Most Chinese don’t care that other countries have western democracy.