Foreigner lauds China's model of democracy

Noyan Rona, a Turkish national who has resided in Shanghai for more than two decades, said that his expectation for this year's two sessions is for China to exercise its "whole-process people's democracy" in the formulation of social policies and country governance.

"Whole-process people's democracy" refers to China's model of democracy.

Rona is a resident of the Hongqiao sub-district within Shanghai's Changning district, where President Xi Jinping first put forward the concept of "whole-process people's democracy" during a visit to the city in 2019.

"Since my relocation to Shanghai in the mid-1990s, I've always been giving my opinions and suggestions about community and city development. Shanghai is a highly open metropolis. The officials and residents here are very open-minded and receptive to new, better and more advanced practices," said Rona, 66, the chief representative of Turkish Garanti Bank's Shanghai office.

He said the concept of "whole-process people's democracy" can be easily accepted by the residents in the Ronghua neighborhood community where he lives as this concept has been utilized in community governance since the 1990s.

"For example, a meeting was held here at the Gubei Civic Center just a few days ago to discuss matters like transportation, garbage sorting, and the management of pets," said Rona, adding that many residents in the neighborhood participated and gave their opinions and suggestions.

The Gubei Civic Center is more than a community activity center. It has been a place where grass-root legislation workers and residents regularly gather to share advice and suggestions to community and city development. Their opinions regarding these matters are conveyed to the country's top legislature since July 2015 when the center became the city's first and one of the country's first four stations that can solicit public advice and provide suggestions for the country's law revision. Shanghai now has 25 such stations across the city.

Rona said the interconnections between the neighborhood committees, sub-district offices, and all residents are a perfect reflection of "whole-process people's democracy".

"When the average resident reports something to the officials, they seriously listen to your problem, solve the problems in a very serious manner, and give you a serious feedback," he said.

Rona said he believes the practices of "whole-process people's democracy" in many areas within the country will become even better, of higher quality, more transparent, and more expansive this year.