Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

US political scientist Francis Fukuyama has pointed out in his new book, Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy, the three components of a modern political order - "a strong and capable state, the state's subordination to a rule of law, and government accountability to all citizens. "

He drew the conclusion by comparing the national construction and social development trajectories of different countries over the past two and a half centuries.

After the West entered the phase of renaissance and Industrial Revolution, Europe and the US gradually came to the forefront of the international community. In addition, the West had long exerted colonial rule over other countries, accumulating excessive advantages.

But since the end of WWII, the economic dominance of the US, which in 1945 produced over 50 percent of global GDP, has shrunk dramatically. Democracy and rule of law that the West holds as tips for their success didn't bring sustainable success.

In terms of rule of law, the US has put its own national interests above international law at will. Since the beginning of the 21st century, it has intervened in countries such as Iraq, Libya and Syria, destroying local peace and stability. In domestic politics, not only are mainstream ideological views polarized, but hard-line interest groups have hijacked the political process, forcing it into a stalemate as both sides deny each other's goals.

To a certain extent, the combination of power and capital pushes the US toward the direction of hereditary democracy.

In contrast, the modern successful development of East Asia is providing new experiences. In particular, China's sustainably fast development makes people realize that when evaluating the quality of a political system, they must attach high importance to the effectiveness of the government. The ability of a government includes making the right decision with the right approach and doing it right.

Over the past three decades, the Chinese government has paid attention to national development and people's livelihoods, and managed to speed up economic growth.

China's amazing progress in such a short time has propelled Western scholars to reevaluate their understanding of China and readjust the order of elements that determine the quality of a political system. But this doesn't mean democracy and rule of law are not important.

China and the West need to draw experiences from each other to improve their own political systems.

The West, especially the US, must strike a balance between democracy and effective governance. There is nothing wrong with using democracy or rule of law to prevent the government from making wrong decisions, but abusing it while obstructing scientific decision-making is a wrong interpretation of democracy.

As for China, a strong government has been an important factor for the country's development. But to solidify the political system, we need to build democracy and rule of law.

This is the essence of China's construction of modern civilization. Without reform in this regard, we cannot expect China's sustainable rise to continue.

Last year, the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committeeproposed the plan for comprehensively deepening reforms. Now the fourth session is under full swing.

The public expects the session to provide the right solutions. Chinese President Xi Jinpingrecently referred to the country's culture and urged to reflect on it in improving State governance. China needs to develop its own path that suits its own characteristics.

The author is vice dean of the Institute of International Affairs, Fudan University. [email protected]