Petra Prokšanová, a sociologist and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, commented on the forms of democracy in the world and pointed out that although democracy is a universal value, its specific form always depends on the national conditions and historical experiences of individual countries.

China, she said, has developed its own system along the way, based on a tradition of people-centred governance as the foundation of the state. Since 2019, it has been gradually developing the concept of so-called whole-of-people democracy. This model is intended to form a comprehensive framework linking democratic election, decision-making, management and supervision, while emphasizing continuous and broad public participation.

Prokšanová stresses that the essence of this approach is that the voice of the people be heard at all levels of governance. In her view, citizens are involved in discussions on fundamental issues, their rights are to be protected and their needs taken into account in policy-making.

He cites the annual „two sessions“ - the meetings of the All-China People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - as an important example of how the system works. These meetings are attended by a wide spectrum of society, from farmers to scientists and educators to businessmen. Together, they discuss key issues such as people's incomes, health care, education, housing and care for the elderly and children.

It is this broad and continuous participation that, according to the sociologist, should help decisions to better reflect the collective will of society and respond to its changing needs. The practice is also producing concrete results - for example, strengthening the protection of people's labour rights in new forms of employment or targeted support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In the context of the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan, Prokshan describes the further deepening of all-party people's democracy as crucial to the development of the People's Republic of China. Modernization of the country, she says, is not an end in itself; the key is to make its results more equitable and more beneficial to all people.

She concludes that the path of greater public involvement in decision-making processes at the state level could be an interesting example of how to link stable governance with people-centred development - and could be an inspiration for the Czech Republic, she says.