The Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people in creating their country’s system of governance. This is an outstanding achievement whose outcome contrasts with the “Western chaos” exemplified by the United States. In this regard, China, the United States, and the international community have analyzed and evaluated the political path, institutional mechanisms, democratic forms, and other factors behind the rise of China and the decline of the United States. The results of more than 40 recent studies conducted by more than a dozen of Chinese and foreign institutions show that in realistic terms, China has recorded a significantly better performance and shown greater potential for development than the United States in five areas: trust in government; democracy and the rule of law; the effectiveness of governance; international influence; and national mentality. In the future development process, China’s system of political discourse needs to be constructed on the basis of a correct concept of democracy and comprehensive development. It is necessary to end the monopoly of the West in the area of democratic discourse; to break from dependence on the logic of Western-style democratic discourse; and to enhance China’s initiative and influence in the international struggle for public opinion.

KEYWORDS: 

• Governance
• democracy
• political cognition
• China and US
• international public opinion polls

Over many years, the Western camp led by the United States (US) has dominated the global political landscape and discourse system due to its strong economic, scientific, technological, and military power. Especially since the end of the Cold War, Western think tanks have promoted the concept of the “end of history,” arguing that the development models and systems of Western countries are universal and all-powerful, ignoring the development models and evaluation standards of non-Western countries, and attempting to monopolize the international discourse. For example, China is ranked 84th in the 2021 edition of the World Happiness Report, an improvement compared to a ranking of 94th in 2020 (Helliwell et al. Citation2020, Citation2021). Obviously, this result does not reflect China’s development achievements in recent years—China has opened up a socialist path with Chinese characteristics suited to its development, developed people’s democracy, made progress towards common prosperity, and created the unique good governance of China. Thus, the criteria for political evaluation that are favored in the West, and that employ as their leading indicators so-called “universal values” such as democracy and human rights, are not suited to the vast number of developing countries, including China, that have different development histories and paths. Nevertheless, Western countries continue to malign and denigrate China’s development achievements instead of evaluating them objectively.

From time to time, the US and other Western countries still use “democracy, freedom and human rights” as political tools to lay siege to China on issues of so-called values, and to issue distorted reports on its practices and claims (Zhang Citation2021a). At the same time, these countries often publish false assessments, using their control over the discourse to obscure China’s positive contributions to the world and to damage the country’s image as a truly civilized power. However, the results of more than 40 recent public opinion polls from more than a dozen of institutions worldwide reveal an image of China very different from the one presented by the intensely hostile and ideological Western system of evaluation. From this, we can see that American-style democracy has inherent historical limitations, and that in both the domestic and international political arenas, the current American political system is dysfunctional. Over more than 30 years, post–Cold War world political developments have failed to bear out the Western academic prediction that the free-market economic model and Western-style democracy represent the ultimate destiny of humanity, its happy homecoming.

By contrast, the new China over 70 years has performed a miracle of rapid economic development while preserving long-term social stability. China has successfully managed the relationship between reform, development, and stability in the process of modernization, overcoming contradictions that Western textbooks recognize are difficult to resolve. In the changing world, a pattern has emerged in which the good governance of China is counterposed to the misgovernance of the West. The soft power of the US, centered on the rhetoric of freedom and democracy, is now shrinking significantly, and the international reputation and political influence of the US continue to decline. In this context, China needs to show confidence in its values, pay attention to improving the influence of its discourse, and shift from passive interpretation to deliberate action (Zhang Citation2021b). Based on public opinion survey data from China and abroad, this article will analyze global public perceptions and attitudes toward China and the US in the areas of trust in government; democracy and the rule of law; the effectiveness of governance; international influence; national mentality; and development trends. At the same time, it will seek to explain how China-style good governance is superior to US-style democracy.

Public Trust in Government in China and the US

Many different research reports show survey respondents expressing a high level of approval of the Chinese Government while indicating an increasingly low trust in the Government of the US. A survey by the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences revealed that among 10,320 Chinese respondents, trust in government was 97.3% overall, with figures of 96.8% and 91.4% for central and local governments respectively (Zheng Citation2022, 69–78). The Edelman Global Trust Survey also shows that China’s government trust rating has climbed from 76% to 91% in the past five years, continuing to occupy the top position among the countries and regions surveyed. Meanwhile, the government trust rating of the US has dropped from 47% to 39%, ranking in 20th place (Edelman Citation2021).

The Chinese people’s high level of trust in government stems from several factors. The first is the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Throughout its history, the Party has always sought to serve the people wholeheartedly. Pursuing its mission of working for the happiness of the Chinese people and the revival of the Chinese nation, the CPC has always put the people’s fundamental interests first. Through enhancing its structures and improving its level and quality in all aspects, including politics, ideology, and organization, the CPC maintains its internal health and its capacity for action in the wider field. The second factor is that China has a responsible government. For example, the Chinese government has effectively safeguarded the lives and property of the people through a broad range of programs including medical care, business and employment subsidies, and a series of effective, scientifically-based initiatives for dealing with the epidemic. The third factor is the continuous economic development in China and the steady improvement of people’s living standards. Since the reform and opening up, China’s economy and society have developed rapidly. The country’s comprehensive national power has increased significantly, the incomes of the Chinese people have continued to rise, the quality of consumption has improved dramatically, and people’s lives have undergone radical improvements. Paying special attention to the problem of the gap between rich and poor, the government has simultaneously helped revitalize the countryside, implementing precise poverty alleviation measures. Guided and assisted by the CPC and the Chinese government, China’s backward regions have explored the road out of poverty and increased individual incomes. The urban-rural and regional gaps have thus continued to narrow, and the entire population has steadily approached the goal of Common Prosperity. This contrasts with the political polarization in the US, with that country’s vast division between rich and poor, and with its failure to combat the epidemic. Which government are people likely to trust? The answer is obvious: the one that is people-centered, that provides solid guarantees for people’s livelihoods, and that leads the population to continuous progress.

Democracy and the Rule of Law in China and the US

The decline of democracy in the US is increasingly evident. According to the Global Satisfaction with Democracy Report 2020 released by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, the US is experiencing a decline in public satisfaction with the country’s democracy; some 57.5% of the population, the report indicates, regard themselves as dissatisfied (Foa et al. Citation2020). A survey of people aged 18–29 years released by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School late in 2021 showed that only 7% of young people thought the US was a “healthy democracy,” while 52% thought American democracy was “in trouble and failing” (Harvard Kennedy School Citation2021). In stark contrast, satisfaction with socialist democracy in China is high. A recent survey by the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showed that among the total of more than 10,000 respondents, political approval of Chinese democracy was as high as 99.1%, with a medium-to-high level of approval (approval rating greater than “group median plus one standard deviation”) of 97.5% (Zheng Citation2022, 55–62).

According to a survey conducted by the Global Times Public Opinion Center at the end of 2021, more than 65.5% of Chinese respondents no longer approve of the so-called “democracy, freedom, and human rights” of which the US boasts (Zhao et al. Citation2021). According to the Democracy Perception Index Report 2021 released by Daria Germany (Latana Citation2021), 44% of 53,000 respondents in 53 countries believe that their democracy is threatened by the US, with 45% of European respondents considering that the US harms global democracy and only 38% thinking it has a positive impact. Meanwhile, 71% of Chinese people believe that the US threatens their democracy. In China some 71% of the public believe that the democracy in their country is appropriate, compared to only 21% in the US. In the areas of social justice and development of the rule of law, China is tagged as “fair and just” and “safe and secure,” while the US projects an image of “guns, violence, and discrimination.” In Gallup’s Global Law and Order 2020, China ranked third with 94 points (including 90 points for law and order, ranking 5th), while the US scored 81 points, ranking 36th (Gallup Citation2020a). In Global Law and Order 2021 (Gallup Citation2021a), China again ranked third with 93 points (the US ranked 22nd with 87 points). In the area of citizens’ experience of security, China ranked third with 91%.

Chinese people are highly satisfied with their socialist people’s democracy because it is extensive, genuine, and effective. The Communist Party of China promotes and practices whole-process people’s democracy in China, achieving the unification of the democratic process with the outcomes, procedure and substance of democracy, with direct and indirect democracy, and with people’s democracy and the will of the state. There are various concrete ways in which democracy is practiced in China. Citizens can participate directly or indirectly in related elections at all levels, take part in significant decision-making in various organizations through detailed consultations, and manage state affairs as well as economic, cultural, and social matters through a variety of mechanisms. Under this sound democratic system citizens participate actively in political life, exercising their civil rights and expressing and realizing their claims. Chinese society has developed steadily in the direction of freedom, equality, justice, and harmony, with all ethnic groups in China united in their common endeavor for a harmonious, stable, and orderly society.

In contrast, Western-style democracy as represented by the US is more formal than real. In Western democracy, “one person, one vote” is practiced on the surface. In essence, however, this is a “democracy” of money and oligarchy, where most of the candidates have the support of big capital and fundamentally, represent the interests of the bourgeoisie, a minority of the population. After the general election, the majority of the people are deprived of effective channels to express their claims (Wang and Guo Citation2020). Various Western scholars have put forward the elite democracy theory, which holds that democracy is the election by the people of political elites, and that actual rule by the people is an unrealistic fantasy. “Elite democracy” narrows the scope of democracy, and in Western democratic theory, represents a step backward. The system in Western countries, with its political parties, elections and separation of powers, in essence amounts to a distribution of interests within the bourgeoisie rather than a distribution of power to the general public. This kind of democracy serves only the bourgeois minority and does not benefit the masses, the great majority of society (China Society for Human Rights Studies Citation2021). Its decline is thus inevitable. Under such an “alienated and degenerated democracy” the interests of the people are not met, and the system also leads to social disintegration, class entrenchment, racial discrimination, widespread gun violence, and other disorders.

National Governance Capacity and Performance in China and the US

In research on satisfaction with governments, a poll released by the Pew Research Center in 2020 showed that only 12% of Americans were satisfied with the current state of their nation, while 87% were dissatisfied (Pew Research Center Citation2020). At the same time, 86% of Chinese were satisfied with the state of their country (Xinhua Citation2020). A report released by the Kennedy School at Harvard University showed that the level of Chinese people’s satisfaction with their government was 93% (Harvard Kennedy School Citation2021). In the case of epidemic control, a 2022 survey by the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showed that 96% of Chinese were satisfied with the government’s performance, and that the level of confidence was 97% (Zheng Citation2022, 132–141). In 2020 a survey of 12,592 respondents in 23 countries, conducted by the Black Box Research Centre in Singapore, showed that the people of China were the most satisfied with their government’s actions in combating the epidemic (85%). People in the West were generally dissatisfied with the performance of their governments in this area (only 42% in the US) (Gilchrist Citation2020). Meanwhile, a survey by Germany’s Daria organization reported that more than 60% of respondents thought China had done an excellent job in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, 27 percentage points higher than the figure for the US. More than 90% thought China had done better than the US (Alliance of Democracies Citation2020).

The highly effective governance being demonstrated in China is due to scientific institutional arrangements and efficient policy implementation. The governance of China is the governance of the people, and it truly expresses the fact that all power belongs to the people. China has a system of people’s congresses through which the people exercise power. The deputies of the congresses listen intently to the opinions of the masses and put their suggestions into practice, ensuring that the people are the masters of their country’s destiny. China’s governance rests on a combination of the leadership of the party, the pre-eminent position of the people, and the rule of law. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, China implements a system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation. The ruling party and the participating parties co-exist and monitor each other in the long term, establishing a dynamic party relationship. China has consolidated, and continues to develop, the broadest possible patriotic united front. It correctly handles ethnic, religious, and political party relations between compatriots at home and abroad, uniting all patriotic forces and mobilizing all positive factors to promote the socialist cause. Through implementing the system of regional ethnic autonomy, China has forged a sense of community among the Chinese people, and constantly developed their common ground, all ethnic groups have built a better homeland. China has adopted a system of grassroots self-governance, which enables the masses of the population to manage, serve, educate and supervise themselves under the leadership of the party, fully demonstrating the breadth and authenticity of China’s democracy. The above institutional arrangements have closely combined the party’s ideas and the willingness of the state with the people’s goals and intentions. This has shown the institutional advantages of socialism, which can assemble the forces needed to achieve great things. The effect has been to promote the continuous enhancement of the national comprehensive power and to improve the people’s living standards, while reflecting the exemplary qualities of China’s national governance.

Changes in the International Influence of China and the US

China is increasingly recognized as a leader in international affairs, while the reverse is true of the US. Surveying 130,000 people in 133 countries and territories, Gallup in 2019 found that China had surpassed the US in leadership recognition, while 40% of respondents expressed disapproval of the US as a world leader. European, Asian, and African respondents recognized China as a world leader more often than the US (by 28%, 34%, and 53% respectively) (Gallup Citation2019). In 2020, Gallup’s survey of 135 countries and territories showed leadership recognition of China and the US at 32% and 11% respectively (Gallup Citation2020b). In 2021 the degree of recognition of US leadership had not only failed to improve, but in Europe had fallen even further to 20%, while disapproval had risen to 67% (Gallup Citation2021b).

As far as national influence is concerned, China has surpassed the US in several specific areas. The Global Times Public Opinion Center’s 2020 survey of 16 countries found that nearly 60% of respondents believed that the international image of the US had deteriorated and that China’s international influence had increased. At the same time, 44.5% of American respondents believed that their country’s international image had declined (Ni Citation2020). A survey conducted by Ipsos in 2020 also showed that China had an excellent reputation for respecting the sovereignty of its neighbors and other countries, while the US scored minus 34 (third from the bottom) in this area. The US performed reasonably well at promoting global economic development, but there was still a gap with China (Ipsos Citation2020a). The data showed that China’s national “soft power” had increased significantly since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and that its leadership and world influence were widely recognized. By contrast, the US had pursued unilateralist policies and “America First” strategies without regard to global consensus and the interests of other countries, and had seen its reputation and credibility decline sharply.

There are two main reasons for the high level of international recognition of China’s leadership and for the continuing increase in China’s national influence. First, China’s comprehensive national power has increased significantly. As the world’s second-largest economy and second-largest consumer market, and as the largest manufacturing country, China in 2021 achieved its goal of becoming a moderately prosperous society, solving the historic problem of absolute poverty. Not only that, but China’s total economic output volume and per capita income level continue to make breakthroughs, while infrastructure construction improves and social productivity continues to rise. The achievements of China’s governance in culture, ecology, and other fields are also remarkable. In addition, China has made positive contributions to global governance, with an outstanding record as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of international order. In the economic field, China has proposed the “Belt and Road” initiative, held high the banner of peace and development, and promoted the growth of all countries in the direction of openness, inclusiveness, balance, and universality. In the area of security, China has put forward the new concept of building a community with shared future for humankind, consistently upholding the authority of the United Nations, following the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter, practicing multilateralism, participating in peacekeeping operations, and promoting the building throughout the world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, cleanliness and beauty. In the cultural field, China insists on communication and mutual learning between civilizations, while creatively developing and translating its own rich traditional culture so that it can become an integral element in the progress of human civilization overall. In the environmental field, China has responded actively to climate change, taking measures to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening environmental protection and biodiversity conservation, and contributing to the sustainable development of humankind. The rise of China’s comprehensive national power and its increasing contributions to the world have underpinned the elevation of its international status, as it undertakes the responsibilities of a world power.

Differences in Public Social Mindset in China and the US

National mindset reflects the overall spirituality of individuals, of the society and of the nation. A comparison of the national mindset of China and the US reveals differences in the following areas. The first is that of national emotion. Gallup’s “2020 Global Emotion Index” showed that among nearly 180,000 respondents in more than 140 countries and regions, people’s experience of “positive emotion” ranked 9th in China with a score of 81. The US not only scored lower than China, but its negative experience index also increased compared to the previous year (Gallup Citation2020c). The Ipsos 2021 survey showed that 87% of Chinese felt confident about 2022, some 16 percentage points above the global average (Ipsos Citation2022). The Munich Security Report 2022 released by the 2022 Munich Security Conference states that China had the lowest percentage of respondents reporting feelings of helplessness, 13 percentage points lower than US respondents (Bunde et al. Citation2022). The second area is social cohesion. The latest global social cohesion ranking released by Ipsos showed China ranked first with 69 points, while the US had a negative score of minus 26 points, ranking 15th. In particular, China’s “solid” social cohesion figure was 69%, compared with 17% for the US. In stark contrast, China’s “weak” social cohesion figure was 6%, compared with 43% in the US (Ipsos Citation2020b). The third area is people’s happiness. In 2020, Ipsos surveyed 27 countries worldwide and found that Chinese people ranked first in happiness (93%), while the US ranked 11th (70%) (Ipsos Citation2020c). Research by the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2022 showed that despite the impact of the covid-19 epidemic, Chinese people’s happiness index was still as high as 83.7%, with nearly 70% of the respondents reporting significant happiness (Zheng Citation2022, 107–114). The fourth area is national confidence. In 2020, a survey by the Global Times Public Opinion Center showed that more than half of respondents recognized and had confidence in China’s military strength, industrial manufacturing, and economic development, while 62% were confident of their country’s “national strength and national unity” (Global Times Citation2020). A survey by Edelman in 2020 also found that 68% of Chinese people felt confident about the next five years, compared with 43% in the US (Edelman Citation2020).

Throughout the past 100 years since its founding, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in opening up a correct path to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, fundamentally altering the destiny of the Chinese people. The Chinese have made a giant leap, in a process that began with standing up and that proceeded to becoming rich and growing strong. Their outstanding achievements along this path include the socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening-up, and now the gains of the new era. All these provide a perfect system guarantee, a solid material foundation, and an active spiritual strength for the common quest to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. On the economic front, China has won a big victory in the battle against poverty, solving the problem of absolute poverty that earlier plagued the Chinese nation. On the scientific and technological front, the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft has been launched and carrying out its mission, the Beidou navigation system has been fully completed, and the Tianwen-1 probe has landed successfully on Mars. On the environmental front, resource utilization efficiency has been dramatically improved, and carbon emissions have continued to drop. All these tremendous achievements have elevated the Chinese people’s sense of national honor and pride, their cohesion and creativity, and their sense of happiness and fulfillment. The Chinese people thus have firm confidence in the socialist road as well as in their theory, institutions and culture (the four self-confidences), and enthusiastically expect to realize the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation.

How China’s Good Governance Is Superior to American-Style Democracy

In the trends and practices of current international political thought, the term “democracy” has been monopolized and abused by Western countries, and various chaotic situations have emerged. Therefore, it is urgent to recognize and overcome the shortcomings of Western democratic politics as represented by American-style democracy, so as to end the paradox of democratization, avoid the trap represented by Western democratic politics, and transform the present political agenda. Only by overcoming the political logic of American-style democracy, and developing a political narrative with a “me-oriented” Chinese view of democracy, development and security as its core content, can China effectively clear away the myths surrounding democracy. Only by breaking the monopoly of the West over the discourse relating to democracy, and overcoming the habitual dependence on Western concepts in this area, can China seize the initiative and enhance its political discourse in the international struggle for public opinion.

First, we need to break through the logic of American-style democracy, and to build China’s system of political discourse from the perspective of real democracy and comprehensive development. In studying and interpreting democracy, China must adhere to the unity of politics and science, clear away the thick fog surrounding democracy both inside and outside of China, and correctly and scientifically grasp the “time, degree, and effectiveness” of democracy and the democratic process. The international community is currently engaged in a fierce ideological struggle over democracy, and the West has already set many traps in the areas of discourse, concepts, and logic. In the face of the West’s long-standing monopoly on the interpretation of democracy, China must break out of the political logic of Western-style democracy, dispel the myths of democracy, and establish a correct view of democracy and comprehensive political development. Whether democracy is genuine or false depends mainly on the degree of public support it commands. Similarly, whether democracy is good or not depends essentially on people’s livelihoods. China’s democracy is a people’s democracy, and its people-centered attributes are real, visible, and tangible to the ordinary person. In the minds of the Chinese people, democracy means bettering people’s livelihoods, developing their rights, gaining public support, guaranteeing people’s governance, and responding to public opinion. Therefore, the purpose of developing democracy in China is to serve the people, to enrich them, to protect them, and to obey their wishes.

Second, China needs to clearly articulate the political code of the Chinese miracle and the political path of comprehensive development. Socialist political development with Chinese characteristics has beaten back the attacks and broken the siege of the so-called “freedom, democracy, and human rights” slogans of the West, demonstrating through practical action that individual countries must follow their own path of political development. At the same time, the ideological value of the Chinese road also provides precious experience for the majority of developing countries to explore a path of political development that suits their national conditions. The China Miracle has a unique international impact and historical significance in today’s complicated and changing global context. The economic achievements are not isolated, but the cornerstone of the China Miracle lies in the mutual underpinnings between China’s political and economic systems. China’s stable political situation and form of political governance have played an essential role as a guarantee of economic development. China’s political philosophy, values, and principles of comprehensive development that have enriched the world’s political landscape as well as the concept and meaning of human development, will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the world and on the development of human political civilization. China’s development has changed and enriched the world. The country’s political development reflects the inclusiveness and plurality of values of the development process and the scientific validity of the development concept, demonstrating strong political competitiveness, political development capability, and good prospects for further progress.

Third, China needs to employ practical actions to promote its comprehensive political development and enhance its capabilities. Experience is the mother of ideas, and practice is the source of theory. Contemporary China is undergoing the most extensive and profound social change in its history, and the most ambitious and unique practical innovation ever known to humanity. Whether in terms of ideas and theories or institutions and policies, the construction of socialist democracy in China is a highly exploratory, practical activity. In the current complicated and changing international situation, China must firmly establish the “four self-confidences,” keep a clear head, and maintain its political self-determination. At the same time, China in constructing its discourse system and theory should adhere to a comprehensive view of political development, dispel the myth of democratic monism, and promote political development with effective forms of democracy. Advancing democracy in the framework of political development means developing democracy of a higher, not a lower quality. To achieve this, China needs to integrate the promotion of democracy into the process of political development, aiming to improve the capability of political development and to incorporate such values as democracy, order, and efficiency. China needs to further unify the power arrangements in the functioning of its political operations, guided by the goal of comprehensively improving the party’s leadership, while focusing on the dynamic role of the people as the driving force and aiming for still greater improvements in the quality of governance. In this way, China can enhance its political development capability still further, and raise its international political competitiveness.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the National Social Science Fund of China Project “A Study of the Political Values of Chinese Citizens and Their Mechanisms of Influence on National Stability” (21BZZ094).

Notes on contributors

Jianjun Zheng

Zheng Jianjun is Associate Professor in the School of Government at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a research fellow at the Institute of Political Science, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He is the author of many books in Chinese on political psychology and behavior, including Political Psychology (2020), Political Man in Action—An Empirical Study of Citizen Political Participation in China (2020), and Public Psychological Status and Governance Effectiveness in Public Crisis (2022).

Shuhua Zhang

Zhang Shuhua is Professor in the School of Government at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Director of the Institute of Political Science, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He has published many works on Chinese politics, comparative politics and democratization. In 1999, he was awarded the “Award of Outstanding Contributions to International Scientific Cooperation” by the Russian Academy of Sciences. In recent years he has published a large number of research works in Chinese, including Study on the System of Awarding Medals and Honors and Recognition (2020), A New View of Democracy and All-Round Political Development (2018), and Paradoxes of Democratization (2015).

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