I'm Robert Lawrence Kuhn and here's what I'm watching: how the National People's Congress, the NPC, China's highest organ of state power, embodies China's commitment to enhance its form of democracy, which China calls "Whole-Process People's Democracy." When I write or speak about China's form of democracy, I usually face incredulity among Western audiences, and understandably so, because China's conceives democracy as broader, more encompassing, than free and fair multi-party elections.
我是罗伯特•劳伦斯•库恩，以下是我正在关注的：作为中国最高国家权力机关，全国人民代表大会，简称全国人大，是如何体现中国对加强其民主形式的承诺，即中国所说的“全过程人民民主”的。每当我着笔或是阐述中国的民主形式时，我常会受到西方观众的质疑，这也可以理解。因为中国对民主的理解非常宽泛，涵盖内容更丰富，而不是仅限于“自由公正”的多党选举。
China's democracy is no verbal fig-leaf — it is the third of six aspirational adjectives that President Xi Jinping uses to describe China's goal of great rejuvenation. Democracy in the Party-led system involves assessing and absorbing public opinion via feedback mechanisms at all levels of government and people's congresses, such as polling to discern what people think. 中国的民主绝不是一个徒有虚名的空头口号，习近平主席在阐述中华民族的伟大复兴目标时使用了六个形容词来体现他的宏愿，第三个就是民主。民主，在中国共产党领导的体制中通过各级政府和人大的反馈机制来吸收和评估公众意见，比如通过民意调查来体察民意。The primary expression of China's democracy works institutionally, via the formal processes of the people's congresses at various levels of political organization, culminating with the NPC. Empowered to enact laws, the NPC as a whole meets every March, but its various committees, especially its Standing Committee, meet throughout the year to plan and prepare various pieces of legislation that express the political agenda for the year. 中国的民主首先有制度上的保证，这种保证是通过各级人大的正式程序加以落实，最高至全国人大。全国人大有立法权，（通常）于每年三月召开全体会议，不过其下各委员会，特别是全国人大常委会，每年都会召集若干次会议，充分发挥最高国家权力机关的职能，及时对国家的重大问题作出决定。Deputies of people's congresses are elected according to the Chinese system, which is always under the leadership of the Party, of course. There were more than 2.6 million deputies to China's five levels of people's congress: state, provincial, municipal, county and township — with all deputies in county and township people's congresses elected directly by voters.在中国的体制下，人大代表通过选举产生。当然，这需要在中国共产党的领导下。中国的五级人大共有超过260万名代表，这五级分别是全国、省、 市、 县、 乡，其中县、 乡两级人大代表都是由选民直接选举产生。Since 2012, more than 217 draft laws have publicly solicited opinions through the NPC website, with more than 1.2 million participants and more than 3.8 million opinions. In 2020 alone, 42 opinions on draft laws were solicited, with more than 306,000 participants and more than 1.35 million opinions received, all new highs.自2012年以来，已有超过217部法律草案，通过全国人大网站公开征求意见。参与人次120多万，提出意见380多万条。仅在2020年，就征求了42件次法律草案意见，参与人数超过30.6万人，收到意见135万余条，（参与人数和意见数）均创历史新高。China calls the participation of the people the fundamental way to achieve democracy. But asking for advice cannot stop at soliciting opinions; opinions must be taken seriously, assessed, absorbed, have influence and make impact. 中国认为人民的参与是实现民主的根本途径，但寻求建议不能止步于征求意见，意见必须被认真对待，评估，汲取使之发挥作用，产生实效。How can this process be facilitated? What kinds of system improvements need to be made? What about boundaries? What about tolerances?如何推动这一进程？需要进行哪些系统性完善？边界在哪里？对这些做法的容忍度有多少？ I'm keeping watch. I'm Robert Lawrence Kuhn我在持续观察。我是罗伯特•劳伦斯•库恩。【编者按：全过程人民民主第一集。】