Beijing issues democracy 'white paper'

The Chinese government issued a lengthy justification of its commitment to unassailable one-party rule in China's first ever policy 'white paper' on the subject, the Financial Times reported. In the paper, entitled 'The Building of Political Democracy', the government defined democratic governance in China as "the Chinese Communist Party governing on behalf of the people" while upholding and perfecting the people's democratic dictatorship." Despite claiming that dramatic improvements had been made to the country's political system, such as strengthening protection for disadvantaged groups, the statement will do little to silence widespread domestic dissatisfaction with the party's monopoly on power, or calls from abroad for greater political freedom.