An inter-governmental programme designed to promote basic level democracy in
rural China has been a success, authorities said yesterday.
The EU-China Training Programme on Village Governance is one of the country's
largest co-operative projects in the political sector.
It aims to promote the development of village self-governance, improve
villagers, elected representatives and officials' understanding and observance
of existing laws and regulations, and also improve democratic elections.
"The successful implementation of the programme has promoted the democratic
process in rural areas and enhanced the long-term understanding and teamwork
between China and Europe," said Chai Xiaolin, a deputy director of the Ministry
of Commerce, at yesterday's workshop on village self-governance.
Since its inception in May 2001, the programme has organized 280 training
courses and workshops on village elections and transparency in village affairs,
with these workshops attended by 30,000 participants, according to William
Massolin, the programme's EU co-director.
The programme is set to end in May.
Acclaimed as a "quiet revolution," China's village self-governance system was
first introduced in the early 1980s.
In this new rural governance system installed and protected by law, the
government relegates administrative power from the rural areas while the
villagers are authorized to elect their own village heads and manage and
supervise village affairs in an autonomous and democratic manner.
It is also viewed as a significant step in China's politics.
(China Daily 04/06/2006 page2)