China hopes for peaceful polls in BD: Envoy

Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen on Wednesday expressed Beijing's sincere hope for Bangladesh to hold a peaceful and successful general election, maintaining social stability and improving the livelihoods of its people, reports UNB.

He noted that Bangladesh is now standing at a crucial stage of democratic transition and national rejuvenation.

Speaking at a seminar at the Foreign Service Academy hosted by Association of Former Ambassadors (AOFA), Ambassador Yao said democracy finds its true meaning only when the people's aspirations are fully reflected in state governance.

President of AOFA Abdullah Al-Hasan and General Secretary AFM Gousal Azam Sarker also spoke.

The development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics conforms to China's reality and ensures that the people run the country, said Ambassador Yao.

Through the whole-process of people's democracy, the unity of broad participation and effective governance has been well achieved, he said.

As President Xi emphasised, whether a country is democratic or not depends on whether its people are truly running the country, the Ambassador said.

"Democracy is not merely a certain procedure, instead, it needs to guarantee that the people are masters of the country in practice," said Ambassador Yao.

China did not follow the old modernization path of Western countries, but found its own path with Chinese characteristics, he said.

Similarly, the envoy said, China did not duplicate the Western models of democracy, but has practiced it in its own way.