"Socialist Democracy"

One-party rule, it just rings of democracy. Well, at least according to China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao it does. In a speech to reporters, Mr. Wen said, “Socialist democracy in its most fundamental form is to let the people be the masters of their own home. This must include the right to democratic elections, democratic decision making, democratic administration and democratic supervision” (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/17/world/asia/17china.html) Do any of the elements of that last sentence bring images of China to mind? No, because they don’t effectively exist in the country. Chinese leaders however, will ceaselessly vow that they have achieved a “socialist democracy,” which ensures such rights and freedoms as listed above to its citizens. Political dissenters disappearing, protesters being shot at and mass media censorship sure don’t sound like the definition of freedom though.
The effect of giving such an answer to reporters asking if China will democratize, is to make it a mute issue and is therefore very practical to Chinese leaders. So long as the West continues to pour money into China with the conviction that China will democratize, the Chinese will continue to convince us that is the path they are headed down, no matter how illogical that assertion actually is.