BEIJING, March 9 (UPI) -- China will never institute a Western-style parliamentary system, instead retaining its "correct" Communist Party leadership, a top legislator says.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said Monday in Beijing that China's system of "multiparty cooperation and political consultation" under the leadership of the Communist Party is the "correct political orientation" for the country, the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.
"We must draw on the achievements of all cultures, including their political achievements, but we will never simply copy the Western model," said Wu, adding that the differences are very clear between the people's congress and Western parliaments.
In a lengthy statement, Wu said that because deputies to the People's Congress are elected from every region, ethnic group and sector of society, there is at least one deputy from each ethnic minority group no matter how small its population is. Therefore, he said, the masses are broadly represented rather a single party or a group, as is the case with Western parliaments and congresses, Xinhua reported.
