"Democracy Summit" a pretext to foment confrontation: Chinese ambassador to Italy

ROME, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The so-called "Summit for Democracy" led by the United States is a pretext to foment camp confrontations and an attempt to divide the international community, Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Junhua has said.

"China has been intentionally labeled as an 'undemocratic' country for some time now, which derives from a misinterpretation of the concept of democracy, but above all from a misunderstanding of Chinese democracy," Li said in an article published on Monday by Italian news agency Adnkronos.

He argued that democracy is a common value of humanity and a fundamental concept that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people have always supported.

Li pointed out that the interests of the Chinese people are practically safeguarded by the system of the people's congresses, the system of CPC-led multi-party cooperation and political consultation, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy.

The ambassador continued by emphasizing that the type of political system that a country adopts, the development path it undertakes and the form of democracy it implements are determined by its history and its culture, the nature of its society and its level of economic development.

Moreover, Li said that democracy is showed not only in domestic politics, but also in international relations.

He noted that the practices of one or a few countries giving orders through power politics and international "bullying" is "totally contrary to the very sense of democracy."

"The right democratic model requires that international affairs be managed by individual countries in accordance with international norms and with common consensus," he added.

The so-called "Summit for Democracy" to be convened by the United States "reflects the Cold War mentality of the United States and its pursuing of zero-sum game policy," said the ambassador, strongly opposing the attempts to divide the international community and to "privatize democracy."

The United States should pay more attention to the needs of its people and address its own democratic and human-rights problems, Li suggested, adding that it is indeed extremely undemocratic to try to contain other nations by proclaiming itself "the leader of democracy" and practise "double standards."

Li concluded that China will continue to strive to promote world peace, contribute to global development and defend the international order. It will also continue to cooperate with other countries and their people to promote common values of humanity, to promote the democratization of international relations and contribute to global peace and prosperity.