Public Lecture on China's Model of Democracy by Chinese expert

Napoleon Bonaparte once said of China, "Let her sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world." When those words were uttered, few people took them seriously for China was then regarded a sleeping giant. But not anymore. In the 21st century, China is rising to become a world power and is shaping the world as never before. This phenomenon has generated considerable interest in China.

To shade some light on China, Dr. Bo Zhiyue, Senior Research Fellow of East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, was at UTAR Petaling Jaya Campus to give a public lecture on "China's Model of Democracy" on Aug 12, 2009.

Dr. Bo's public lecture was attended by VIPs, members of the public and UTAR's staffs and students. The audience was fully attentive when Dr. Bo elaborated on the political legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), features of the Chinese political system, and China's model of democracy.

China has long awakened from its slumber and is now standing firmly on its feet. As it grows steadily into a world power, it also seeks to renew itself. As Dr. Bo explained, "China is going through three phases of self-renewal in the following order: firstly, economic, secondly social, and thirdly political."

Dr. Bo's concluding remarks were most compelling. He asserted, "The CCP has political legitimacy, the Chinese political system is unique, China is not undemocratic in the absolute sense, and further democratization in China is likely to be gradual."

Dr. Bo who hailed from China is a popular public lecturer. He has given public lectures on China at universities in the United States, Europe and Asia. He has taught at Beijing University, Roosevelt University, the University of Chicago, American University, St. John Fisher College, Tarleton State University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has received awards and honours for his distinguished services. His research interests include China's elite politics, provincial leaders and Sino-American relations. He has authored several books on China's elite politics and provincial leaders.

Dr Bo.

The captivated audience listening to Dr. Bo's lecture.