Advances in Social Science and Culture ISSN 2640-9682 (Print) ISSN 2640-9674 (Online) Vol. 6, No. 4, 2024 www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc 19 Original Paper Research on Important Discourses on Socialist Consultative Democracy in the New Era Yamei Li1 1 Xi’an FanYi University, School of Marxism, Shaanxi, Xi'an, China Received: April 19, 2024 Accepted: May 26, 2024 Online Published: July 08, 2024 doi:10.22158/assc.v6n4p19 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/assc.v6n4p19 Abstract General Secretary clearly pointed out that consultative democracy is an important way to realize the Party's leadership style. The formation and development and maturity of socialist consultative democracy in the new era has a deep theoretical origin, which was gradually developed on the basis of criticizing the western consultative democracy theory; it is a consultative democracy in conformity with Marxism; it has deep roots in traditional Chinese culture; and it is the collective essence of successive generations of leaders. In the century-long journey from the founding to 2021, Chinese-style consultative democracy has its own unique advantages and characteristics, and in exploring the path of consultative democracy, it is also different from the Western path of consultative democracy, with Chinese characteristics in nature. Keywords consultative democracy, marxism, new age Consultative democracy is an indispensable magic weapon in the journey to modernize national governance. General Secretary has made a number of important discussions on socialist consultative democracy, and the Party Central Committee has also issued a series of documents to guide the development of consultative democracy in China, while academics have also conducted in-depth research on socialist consultative democracy. Under the guidance of a series of new spirit of the Party Central Committee, consultative democracy in the new era has flourished in China with unprecedented scale and speed in multi-channel and multi-level, not only injecting new vitality into China's socialist democratic politics, but also contributing Chinese wisdom/providing Chinese solutions to the democratic problems of mankind. In this paper, we will use textual analysis to sort out the theoretical basis of socialist consultative democracy in China, as well as the advantages of socialist consultative democracy compared with those in the West, and to find out the development path of socialist www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 20 consultative democracy in the new era from the practical point of view. 1. Theoretical Origins of Socialist Consultative Democracy in the New Era 1.1 Basic Theoretical Sources-Important Foreign Discussions on the Theory of Consultative Democracy The study of western consultative democracy is much earlier than the domestic one, and the study of consultative democracy in China started with the study of western consultative democracy, and the critical inheritance of western consultative democracy theories is of great significance for the development of consultative democracy in China. Consultative democracy abroad is a modern democratic system based on the principles of popular sovereignty and majority. The West focuses on the consultation of public administration and public policy, involving different parties, interest groups, classes and strata, and emphasizes the participation in the process of consultative democracy through different forms. At the end of the 20th century, the West began to critically reflect on its own democratic theories, and some political scientists questioned the competitiveness and universality of democracy, and began to turn to the study of the theory of "consultative democracy". Some political scientists questioned competitive and universal democracy and began to turn to the theory of "consultative democracy". Joseph Bissett proposed "consultative democracy" earlier, and Rawls also put forward his own views from the academic point of view, he thinks: "The procedure of the principle of majority decision as a procedural means obviously has only a subordinate position." (Note 1) Their study of consultative democracy is still presented in terms of the legitimacy of Western regimes. Habermas, while being critical of the traditional Western democratic theory, puts forward a third model of democracy, different from the liberal and republican, which advocates that the formation and reality of democratic will be prompted by means and procedures of institutionalization. The consultative democracy proposed by the representatives of these Western political scientists has become an important basis for the supplementation of modern competitive democracy in the West, and Western democracy has gradually developed from representative democracy to consultative democracy, and has gradually expanded the channels of citizens' political participation, and to a certain extent, has promoted the expression of the interests of interest groups, the communication of interests, and the achievement of consensus. This kind of consultative democracy in foreign countries plays an increasingly important role in meeting the needs of citizens' participation to a certain extent, improving the scientific level of decision-making, and solving social problems, which provides an important direction for China to improve and develop socialist consultative democracy in the new era. 1.2 Basic Theoretical Sources-Marxist Theories on Consultative Democracy The ultimate goal of the theories put forward by the classic Marxist writers is to realize communism, and the basis of this lofty ideal also includes democratic and equal consultation among people. The Marxist theories of united front, multi-party cooperation and democratic politics constitute the www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 21 basic theoretical sources of consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics. Marx and Engels believed that the proletariat is the most revolutionary and thorough class in modern society, and that only the proletariat can win the proletarian revolution by closely uniting with the peasantry and forming a united front, thus promoting the spirit of unity and cooperation of the proletarian political parties and giving full play to their superiority; at the same time, they put forward the idea of cooperation of the proletarian political parties with other political parties in their writings such as The Communist Manifesto, and the idea of cooperation of the proletarian political parties with other political parties. The proletariat, in its struggle for emancipation, should unite as far as possible all the parties that can be united, engage in democratic consultation on important issues at stake, and strive to reach the broadest possible consensus, so as to promote the development of the proletarian political parties; the most crucial aspect of the Marxist theory of democratic politics is the unity of democracy and dictatorship, which, as Marx emphasized, are two aspects of the same process. After the establishment of the proletarian state, what is needed is the further construction of the legitimacy of the regime, on the one hand, in order to get the approval of the people, must guide the people to actively participate in the consultation, to make scientific decisions to satisfy the people, on the other hand, to jeopardize the interests of the proletarian political party party parties and reactionary groups need to be mercilessly suppressed. The development of Marxist consultative democracy is an evolving theory, and this advancement is precisely the characteristic of the development of the theory of consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics. The two have commonality and are the basic theoretical source of the development of consultative democracy in China. 1.3 Important Theoretical Source - China's Excellent "Harmony" Culture The political development of a country is intrinsically and closely related to its own political and cultural traditions, and this is also true of China's socialist consultative democracy. China's outstanding traditional culture is rich in consultative genes, which provides an intrinsic ideological foundation for the construction of consultative democracy in the new era. History proves that China is a peace-loving nation, and since ancient times it has always emphasized the principles of "harmony and difference," "people-oriented," and "the world for the common good" in governing the country and the world. The idea of "harmony" occupies an important place in traditional Chinese culture: "Harmony is a living thing, and sameness is not a continuation." This means consultation between two parties and reaching a consensus through communication. The idea of "harmony and difference" is to adhere to principles and respect differences, to collide with each other and form consensus, to accept and incorporate, to emphasize the integration or balance of different things, and to require people to compromise and tolerate each other; the people-oriented idea of "people-oriented" has played an important role in the history of China. Only when a dynasty implements the people-oriented idea can the society develop and the feudal rule be relatively stable. Successive Chinese rulers were clear that "the people are the most important thing, the gods of earth www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 22 and grain come second, and the ruler is the least important thing." The people are the foundation of the state, and only when the people live and work in peace and contentment can the state be stabilized; traditional Chinese culture also contains the excellent ideology of "the world is for the common good". In the Book of Rites, it is written, "The way of the world is public, the world is public, the people are chosen for their virtue and ability, and the people speak of faith and cultivate goodwill." Although there is no such thing as a commonwealth society in traditional society, in reality, many literati and scholars have looked forward to a commonwealth society in which all people are equal through their poems, and this concept of "commonwealth" is of great significance to the integration of society. The concept of "harmony" in the excellent traditional Chinese culture, reflected in the modern democratic process, is based on the common interests of the people and the public interest, respecting the existence of differences, and finding the greatest common denominator through communication, negotiation, and mutual understanding, so as to reach a consensus in the end. The Chinese culture of "harmony" provides the basis for the development of Chinese Special Consultative Democracy. 1.4 Direct Theoretical Source-The Leader of the People's Thought of Consultative Democracy The CPC insists on combining the basic principles of Marxism with the realities of China's revolution, construction and reform. In the course of the development of China's consultative democracy, The leader of the people inherited the Marxist-Leninist theory of consultative democracy and put forward the theory of consultative democracy in Chinese style, which provides a direct theoretical source for the development of socialist consultative democracy and consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. In exploring China's development path, The leader of the people attached great importance to the issue of consultative democracy. As early as during the Anti-Japanese War, Comrade The leader of the people repeatedly emphasized that "national affairs are the major affairs of the state, not the private affairs of a single party or faction. (Note 2) The leader of the people recognized early on the importance of cooperation between the CCP and people outside the party. The leader of the people also emphasized consultation with the general public, and always adhered to the principle of "people's democracy" in dealing with issues concerning the interests of the people. His idea of people's democracy was reflected in his writings such as On the Dictatorship of People's Democracy, in which he argued that people's democracy was not only an important method of solving problems within the people, but also a fundamental means of preventing the deterioration of the Party and the people's regime. fundamental way. At the same time, The leader of the peopleput forward the idea of the "mass line" in his "Some Questions on Methods of Leadership...". At the same time, The leader of the people, in "Some Questions on Methods of Leadership," put forward the important thesis of the "line of the masses," which is a popular expression for the "public participation" of today's people: "The people, and only the people, are the people. "The people, and the people alone, are the driving force behind the creation of world history." It is emphasized that it is the people who determine the end of history, and that only through the participation of the masses in the implementation of public decision-making, www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 23 communication and consultation, and joint decision-making in the interests of the general public, can the harmonious development of society be realized. The mass line put forward by The leader of the people can be fully utilized to serve the new era of consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics. 2. Advantages of Socialist Consultative Democracy in China in the New Era Socialist consultative democracy has gradually been perfected in China and has become a driving force in the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era originated from the People's Political Consultative Conference and is inextricably linked to the theory of the united front. At the beginning of the founding of New China, the theory of socialist consultative democracy was in its embryonic stage, while the report of the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 clearly stated the connotation of the term "socialist consultative democracy", and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee pointed out that the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the essential difference between socialist consultative democracy and Western consultative democracy, and that socialist consultative democracy has its own unique advantages. Advantages. 2.1 Adherence to the People-Centered Guiding Ideology Serving the people wholeheartedly has been the fundamental tenet of the CPC since its birth, and making people-centeredness the guiding ideology of socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics indicates that people-centeredness is the most distinctive underpinning of socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. It is under such guiding ideology that China's consultative democracy in the new era is carried out in an orderly manner, with the people as participants, contributors and enjoyers. However, the core of Western consultative democracy is to safeguard the fundamental interests of the bourgeoisie, which are essentially the interests of the minority. For example, viruses do not "discriminate against people", but society in the United States does, and during the new Crown Pneumonia epidemic, the number of infections among the general public in the United States rose "methodically", and the lack of treatment ultimately led to loss of life, so that the United States continued to march and riot, and the Chinese health insurance, health care, and health care services are all part of this. In contrast, China's health insurance, health codes, free and nucleic acid tests and universal free vaccines all reflect a people-centered approach. If we follow the Western theory of consultative democracy, this matter should theoretically be resolved through consultative democracy. However, it is difficult to hide the nature of capitalist countries to defend the bourgeoisie. Racial discrimination in the United States has been deeply rooted, and the unequal social status of blacks and whites is difficult to be resolved through consultative democracy, which ultimately resulted in protests by the American people. The guiding ideology of socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics is different from www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 24 that of Western consultative democracy, highlighting the superiority of socialist consultative democracy. 2.2 Adhere to the Leadership of the Communist Party of China as the Fundamental Principle The CPC is the fundamental leading force in realizing the orderly development of socialist consultative democracy. According to Western scholars of consultative democracy theory, equality is a prerequisite and necessary condition for consultation. The negotiators must be "free and equal citizens and their representatives" (Note 3), the opportunity for consultation will not be affected by differences in the existing possession of power and resources between them. Everyone is equal in the process of consultation, and there is no leadership power that transcends each consultant. However, the theoretical explanations of Western consultative democracy will encounter problems in the course of practice when various interest groups are unable to obtain actual democracy due to huge differences, resulting in deliberation but not decision. The CPC, as the fundamental leading force of consultative democracy, guides the equal consultants to rationally make their voices heard on social issues and find the optimal solutions based on the synthesis of opinions from all sides. For this reason, the CPC has issued documents at all of its meetings stating the important role it plays in the process of socialist consultative democracy and accurately positioning the fundamental direction of socialist consultative democracy. First, the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee pointed out that the precondition for consultative democracy is "party leadership", while the precondition for western consultative democracy is to safeguard the interests of the bourgeois minority, which determines that the essence of consultative democracy in China and the West is different; second, General Secretary emphasized that "to do a good job of the CPPCC, we must adhere to the principle of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). work of the CPPCC, we must adhere to the leadership of the CPC" (Note 4), indicating that the CPC has a directional leadership role in the development of the CPPCC cause. Party leadership is the fundamental leading force for the healthy development of socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era, which can overcome the drawbacks of Western consultative democracy of discussing but not deciding, effectively integrating the interests and demands of all classes, and realizing the unity of discussion and action. 2.3 Adherence to Democratic Centralism as an Organizing Principle The principle of democratic centralism is the organizing principle of the CPC, and at the same time a principle that has been tested in practice and is consistent with internal party democracy. For the socialist consultative process in the new era to be carried out in an orderly manner, it must adhere to democratic centralism as the organizing principle. Western theorists of consultative democracy believe that the process of consultative democracy must be one in which consultative subjects or representatives are able to equally and rationally voice their opinions and express their interests, and use discussion and debate to find common interests among groups with a view to reaching consensus and making public decisions. If it is difficult to reach a consensus, a voting system will be implemented, adhering to the principle of the minority submitting to www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 25 the majority and realizing public policies. The operation process of socialist consultation democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era adheres to the organizational principle of democratic centralism and realizes the democratization of public decision-making. General Secretary then pointed out that the principle of democratic centralism is mainly embodied in the process of socialist consultative democracy in that it "adheres to the leadership of the Communist Party of China while giving full play to the positive roles of all parties, (Note 5) It fully demonstrates that socialist consultative democracy adheres to the principle of centralization on the basis of democracy. The documents issued by the Party Central Committee point out that the links of socialist consultative democracy must achieve the following in terms of democracy: adhere to the Party's leadership, create a strong democratic atmosphere so that the different groups participating in the consultations can speak out fully, and support the negotiators in their courage to speak the truth and put forward practicable proposals. In the consultation process, it is necessary to adhere to the policy of "'not hitting the stick, not withholding the hat, not grasping the pigtail,' and to create a good atmosphere of consultation in which one can speak freely" (Note 6). Lay a solid foundation for the introduction and implementation of public policies. In terms of centralization, it must be achieved: the Party must integrate the opinions expressed by various interest groups in the process of consultative democracy, so that public policies can ultimately achieve the effect of cohesion and consensus, effectively preventing the problem of deliberation but not decision that has arisen in Western consultative democracy, and demonstrating the characteristics of socialist consultative democracy in terms of fairness and efficiency. The organizational principles of socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics are different from those of Western consultative democracy. Western democracy requires equality as a prerequisite for consultation, and in the event that consensus is difficult to be reached, it can only go back to the system of voting, where public decisions are made through voting, but this is bound to jeopardize the interests of the minority. The consultative process in socialism with Chinese characteristics adheres to the principle of democratic centralism, and Party leadership is a prerequisite; on the basis of the opinions and suggestions of various interest groups, the Party plays the role of integrating opinions and forging consensus, which ultimately enables public decisions to be made in a way that takes into account the interests of the various interest groups, and better facilitates the implementation of the public decisions. 3. Innovating the Path of Socialist Consultative Democracy with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era Since entering the new era, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has clearly defined consultative democracy and successively issued a series of mechanisms for the implementation of socialist consultative democracy, regulating all aspects of consultative democracy in detail, promoting the improvement of the country's ability to govern, and providing guidance for the further www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 26 implementation of socialist consultative democracy in the new era, so as to enable socialist consultative democracy to keep abreast of the times. 3.1 Utilizing the Integrative Power of the Communist Party of China in Consultative Democracy The Communist Party of China (CPC) is the leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and possesses a strong political integrating power that enables it to call upon the people to participate in consultations on socio-economic and political affairs. The CPC possesses a strong integrating power, capable of absorbing talents, absorbing social resources and integrating the distribution of social resources. Throughout the course of the founding of New China, the CPC has been embraced and loved by the people step by step, and has strong authority among the people. In China's political power system, the CPC is at the center, which is the source of legitimacy for the CPC's political integration power. First, the CPC is able to play an integrating role in determining the subjects of consultation, and the party organization is not only able to call on people within the party, but also able to unite non-party members and social groups, and to organize the subjects of consultation to participate in social affairs according to their own responsibilities. Secondly, in the process of consultation, the CPC organization should listen carefully to the opinions of all parties, identify the common points of interests and demands, and provide reasonable solutions to the problems of all parties, so that all parties can discuss the solutions rationally and calmly, and balance the interests of all parties. Finally, in accordance with the division of responsibilities, the CPC shall guide the functional departments in fixing the solution to the problem in the form of policies or documents, so that all parties involved in the interests of the parties can act in accordance with the rules and regulations and achieve the effect of good governance. 3.2 Strengthening the People's Efficiency in Social Affairs As the old saying goes, "The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of everyone", and every Chinese person living on this piece of land has a responsibility for China's development. Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has proposed socialist consultation and democracy, and has pointed out the areas covered by consultation and democracy, and has carried out more comprehensive consultations up and down society. The CPC has brought into play the political advantages of the Party organization, awakening the people's political consciousness and mobilizing them to actively participate in political life and care about social affairs. Under the CPC's inspiration, the people participate in the management of social affairs through online platforms set up by the Government, offline hearings and symposiums. As soon as the trial draft on permanent residence of foreigners in China was published on Weibo, many netizens participated in the discussion on the topic, and some opponents expressed their views on the trial regulations and listed the reasons to refute them, which provided a direction for the revision of the decision, reflecting General Secretary's saying that "things should be discussed, and the affairs of the people should be discussed by the people". ". The permanent residence of foreigners in China has an impact on every member of the Chinese public. The favorable aspect is that they can bring in advanced scientific and technological talents to help China's www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 27 scientific and technological cause take off, but they will also squeeze the living space of nationals to a certain extent. Therefore, it is necessary to raise the threshold of entry, keep the gate of permanent residence firmly, and introduce a better policy that responds to the people's wishes after many discussions. Socialist consultative democracy with Chinese characteristics in the new era has proved to be a more effective and functional form of democracy than Western consultative democracy in both theory and practice, and it is indispensable to the happy life of the Chinese people and the forward development of Chinese society. To realize the modernization of national governance, consultative democracy needs to be implemented, and the way of implementation is still being explored. We hope that more scholars will join the team of researching the practical path of consultative democracy in the future, so that more people can enjoy the sense of well-being, acquisition and security brought by the fruits of development. 3.3 Broadening the Platform for People's Participation in Consultative Democracy With the development of information network technology in China, the gradual expansion of its popularization, and the arrival of the 5G era, China will gradually become a country where everyone is informed in a timely manner, participates in and freely expresses their opinions on public decision-making. The Party proposes to establish a platform for socialist consultation and democracy, and to provide an important platform for people to participate in consultation through the continuous use of big data, cloud computing, and "Internet Plus". First of all, "Internet Plus" has been utilized to enhance the efficiency of consultative democracy by combining online and offline methods. Consultations are held on national or regional socio-economic, political and cultural issues of immediate interest to the people. When a community builds a public green space that involves the interests of every resident, it is difficult to satisfy the interests of every resident in offline consultations due to the lack of uniformity in residents' time; however, through online modes such as community service APPs, WeChat groups, and online voting public numbers, residents can conveniently express their opinions online, thus enabling every resident to express his or her own views; second, with the help of big data, it is possible to collect the people's Concerns. Questioning the people is a key step in modernizing national governance. Problems call for reform, and the people are the discoverers of problems. As the country's governance capacity continues to grow, especially in the area of reaching out to the masses, from the central to local levels, from ministries and commissions to communities, there are specialized government websites to build online platforms for the people to offer advice and suggestions. Community volunteer service is with the development of society to serve the people's way, but some volunteer services exist supply and demand information asymmetry problem, resulting in the phenomenon of poor volunteerism, for this negative phenomenon, you can set up a network monitoring platform to monitor the network of community volunteering asymmetry of supply and demand of the evil deeds. www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 28 References Gao, J., & Tong, D. Z. (2010). Consultative Democracy. Tianjin, Tianjin People's Publishing House. 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Selected Works of The leader of the people, vol. 3, People's Publishing House, 1991, p. 767. Note 3. U.S. Emmy Gutman and Dennis Thompson, "What Deliberative Democracy Means", translated by Tan Huosheng, in Tan Huosheng, ed. , p. 7. Note 4. General Secretary, "Speech at the Conference to Celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference," People's Daily, September 22, 2014. Note 5. General Secretary, "Speech at the Conference to Celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/assc Advances in Social Science and Culture Vol. 6 No. 4, 2024 Published by SCHOLINK INC. 29 Founding of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference," People's Daily, 09/22/2014. Note 6. "The Central Office Issues 'Implementing Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Consultative Democracy in the People's Political Consultative Conference,'" People's Daily. June 26, 2015.