HANGZHOU — While China further develops and refines democracy at home, it will advocate true democratic spirit and work together with countries around the world to create a better future for humanity, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Dec 9.

Wang made the remarks when delivering a video speech to the 14th Bali Democracy Forum held in Indonesia.

Just as plants are unique to the land they grow on, democracy, as a major fruit of human progress, is also rooted and nurtured in the history, culture, ethnic traditions and social environment of the countries concerned, Wang said.

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage our societies and the international landscape is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, Wang said how to properly perceive, practice, improve and develop democracy so as to tackle challenges more effectively and promote world peace, stability and prosperity is indeed a "question of the century," a question that bears on the future of humankind.

"There are different approaches and attitudes toward this question. Some regard Western democracy as the only correct answer. They seek to forcibly transplant and impose it onto the whole world. Some attempt to take one country's model as the criterion, provoking tension between different political systems and ideologies and creating division and confrontation in the world," Wang said.

"Undoubtedly, none of these is true democracy, but fake democracy using democracy as a cover," he added.

Noting that democracy is not a special right reserved to a certain country, but a right for the people of all countries, Wang said the key criterion to gauge whether a country is democratic or not is whether its people are truly the masters of their own fate.

Wang said through a century of exploration and experimentation, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the Chinese people in finding a new form of democracy that suits China's national conditions, which is described as the whole-process people's democracy.

Countries have different ways to achieve democracy, he said, adding there is no single correct form of democracy for others to worship, and no democracy is superior to others.

"We have full confidence in our democracy, and we also fully respect other countries' democracy. We will not export our democracy. We are ready to have dialogue and exchanges with others on an equal footing, learn from other civilizations, and provide useful experience to other countries as well," Wang said.

Stressing that democracy is not only a way of domestic governance, but also a principle in global governance, Wang called on countries to vigorously advocate the spirit of democracy in state-to-state interactions, promote the correct approaches such as respect for sovereignty, equal-footed consultation, solidarity and cooperation, and make unremitting efforts for greater democracy in international relations.

The Bali Democracy Forum has been annually convened since 2008 as a platform for open inter-governmental dialogue among participating countries of Asia and the Pacific, focusing on a theme of democracy and governance. This year's theme was "Democracy for Humanity: Advancing Economic and Social Justice During the Pandemic."