Governance lessons from China

China’s rise was neither easy nor free of hardships. China had to fight a multidimensional war to pave the way for a sustainable future. It had to face harsh foreign attitudes, foreign-funded rioters, isolation from the West, and internal challenges of poverty, class differences, and a lack of resources. China rose after overcoming these challenges. China’s rise offers many lessons for nations to learn, such as how to overcome challenges, how to govern, what democracy is, how to improve the welfare of people, and what attributes state and government officials must have. A few have been discussed below.

First, State and government officials must live in society, not float over it. This helps them understand the ground realities and create a bond with society. The Communist Party of China comprehended and observed this philosophy fully. CPC members and government employees lived/live like the common people, paying the same utility bills as other people.

Second, State and government officials must be selfless, have high integrity, be honest, and concentrate on people’s and society’s needs. In difficult times, they should lead by example. They should not ask for sacrifices from people; they should make sacrifices themselves for the betterment of society and the country.

Third, the rule of law is prime. Everyone has to submit to the rule of law, no matter who is who. The country must be run by the rule of law and integrated through the rule of law. The CPC focuses on the rule of law and its implementation with its true spirit. The CPC concluded that corruption must be eradicated and justice be ensured at all levels to ensure the rule of law and the well-being of people.

After assuming leadership of the CPC and China, President Xi launched a comprehensive campaign to eradicate corruption at all levels, from center to local levels. He did not spare anyone who committed any type of corruption (monetary or obliging relatives or friends). China has arrested and punished many top-level army generals, politicians, CPC members, and bureaucrats. Most recently, the CPC expelled the agriculture minister, justice minister, defense minister, and chairman of the Bank of China, among others, from the party on corruption charges.

However, the most interesting part of the story is that China is equally focused on bribers and punishing them. In the past, someone caught offering a bribe would have to face a sentence of 5 years. China refined the law last year and started implementation on 1st March 2024. The punishment limit has been increased from 5 years to 10 years. If he continues to offer a bribe, he will be sentenced to life imprisonment and have his property confiscated. Moreover, President Xi has warned the CPC members, government officials, and armed forces to observe party discipline strictly and not engage in any type of corruption, including gifts, etc., and keep their relatives and family away from such practices. The campaign results are visible now: an atmosphere has been created where corruption is discouraged in the strongest terms.

Simultaneously, the CPC ensures that everybody has access to justice and that justice is provided on a war footing. Hence, the justice system in China works independently and provides justice without fear or discrimination. China has also launched a drive to modernize the justice and law system and is making efforts to strengthen the judicial system to protect human rights and ensure fairness and justice. The goal is to make it more efficient, transparent, responsive to the times, and independent.

Fourth, the CPC devised an inclusive and people-centric governance system to ensure people’s welfare and denounced the ruling mentality. Why? Because CPC considers the ruling to be monolithic, coercive, and monopolistic, while governance is pluralistic, democratic, and cooperative. Governance is an art that conducts day-to-day functions in an inclusive manner by applying the rule of law. In a nutshell, governance is about winning people’s hearts by serving their needs, and ruling dictates the process according to an individual or group of individuals’ interests or will.

Therefore, China conceived its own model of democracy, “Whole Process People’s Democracy,” to implement people-centric governance. It is based on nine pillars: 1) people’s will, 2) people-centric, 3) quality governance, 4) equal participation and opportunities to grow and move on the ladder of leadership, 5) inclusiveness and continuity, 6) strong mechanism of accountability, 7) continuous interaction, 8) merit-based election and 9) socialist values. It does not discriminate based on religion, gender, or class. It ensures the delivery of services and livelihood opportunities to every citizen on an equal basis.

Due to people-centric governance and “Whole Process People’s Democracy”, China has become a poverty-free country. Now, President Xi is guiding the Party and State to achieve the goal of a prosperous China.

Fifth, the CPC governs the country using Indigenous wisdom. It always applies Indigenous wisdom to devise policies and policies. The CPC never hires consultants or IMF-or World Bank-backed expatriates to devise policies for China. However, the CPC never hesitates to learn from others for the country’s benefit.

Sixth, the CPC concluded that the China Dream has no value or justification without ensuring a quality life and a prosperous society for the common people. Thus, people must have the capacity and skills to earn decent livelihoods, improve their lives, and make positive contributions to society. Hence, education and life-skill development were declared top priorities. China kept on investing generously and reforming its education and skill development system according to its development status and people’s needs. For example, in the late 1980s, the education and skill-development systems were reformed to meet the new needs of the country. President Xi is modernizing the education and skill-development system to build a scientific knowledge creation base, which is a prerequisite to leading innovation and technological development.

From the above discussion, it can be deduced that China rose by applying people-centric policies, keeping people at the center, and solving issues with wisdom and reform, not rhetoric or blame games. Moreover, China applied indigenous wisdom, not borrowed wisdom. However, China always kept people at the center of policy-making and implementation and governed the country with empathy, dignity, integrity, and honesty.