China's innovative approach to democracy represents a significant contribution to international politics and human progress, foreign political party leaders have said.

Gyula Thurmer, president of the Hungarian Workers' Party, hailed the concept of whole-process people's democracy proposed by President Xi Jinping, saying that whether people enjoyed democratic rights depended not only on whether they had the right to vote, but also the right to constantly participate in everyday political activities.

In addition to electoral rights, the rights to democratic decision-making, management and oversight were of equal importance, Thurmer added.

"China's successful battle against COVID-19 fully proved that the model of whole-process people's democracy works, which conforms to its own national conditions and has won the support of its people," he said, adding that the experiences of the Communist Party of China were of "outstanding importance".

"China has created its own path to modernization rather than following the established paths of others, but it never exports its own development model to other countries," he said.

Mauro Alboresi, national secretary of the Italian Communist Party, said whole-process people's democracy was the right way out of the crisis ensuing from capitalism.

While addressing an online meeting between the CPC and Marxist political parties from Europe, North America and Oceania on Wednesday night, he said democracy in some Western countries was "deteriorating" with many maladies including the squeezed space for democracy, increasingly serious inequalities and people's declining living standards.

He said that whole-process people's democracy, which guarantees universal participation, had helped to realize true democracy.

He said China championed multilateralism and advocated the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which truly contributed to global governance.

China's help to other countries in battling COVID-19 and offering a series of innovative, open and inclusive proposals including the Belt and Road Initiative, were examples demonstrating the multilateral approach pursued by China.

The meeting, with the theme of "democracy, justice, development and progress", was held by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and brought together about 100 leaders and representatives from more than 20 Marxist political parties and organizations.

They expressed their opposition to attempts by certain countries to politicize the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and they wished the Games a complete success.

Andrew Irving, general secretary of the Communist Party of Australia, said that the hyping up of not sending officials to the Games was unnecessary and unconstructive. He added that it would prove to be a diplomatic mistake.

Alvaro Rodriguez, international secretary of the Communist Party of the United States of America, said, "It is another instance of the US meddling in the internal affairs of other countries."

"International sports competition should not be driven by ideology, nor should it be roiled by politics," he said, while encouraging US athletes to actively participate in the Games.