The term democracy is used and abused so often in the world today, with the anti-China lobby keen to contend it is unheard of in this country.

The question we should ask is, does democracy exist in China? I would argue that it does. But what someone in Berlin, Baltimore or Beijing regards as "democratic" may be different.

China's system of people's congresses and advisory bodies is one that has developed as a result of this nation's unique conditions, just as political systems in, for example, the United States or the United Kingdom - one having a directly elected president and the other being a constitutional monarchy - have developed according to their own specific historical circumstances.