Democratisation of China : a confucian communitarian model

Abstract

The prospect of Chinese democratisation has generated much debate among intellectuals within and outside China in the last few decades. This paper sought to reinterpret Confucianism and democracy to provide the blueprint for China’s eventual democratisation. First examining liberalism and Confucianism, this study found inherent tensions that are difficult to reconcile. Instead, a communitarian form of democracy that aims to strike a balance between individual liberty and social obligations would be more compatible with Confucianism. Hence, for democratisation to occur in China, democracy must first appeal to the pragmatism of the Chinese people through functional means in a Confucian democracy that fosters democracy as a way of life in which ordinary people participate in decisions that affect their livelihood and their community via communitarian institutions that aim to improve political and ethical life through shared values.