On October 12, The Weekend Post, a mainstream media outlet in Botswana, published an commentary titled "China's experience proves there should be more than one democracy in the world" written by Lute, chief editor of the newspaper. In the article, Lute tried to discuss the criteria of democracy, proposed that the West has no right to monopolize the definition of "democratic country", and believed that socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics is constantly demonstrating its effectiveness and superiority.

  It said there had long been an argument that portrayed the battle between China and the West as one between "democracy and authoritarianism", drawing ideological lines and labelling countries around the world. In the face of China's rising economic power and international influence, critics seem to have no choice but to attack China from this superficial angle. It is undemocratic to label China as "authoritarian" or "authoritarian" just because the practice of democracy is different from that of western countries. From China's point of view, the national conditions of various countries vary greatly, and the concrete practice of democracy is also colorful. The only criterion for measuring democracy is whether the people of their country have the right to participate in the governance of their country extensively, and whether they are satisfied and happy.

  The article pointed out that some Western scholars use criteria such as multi-party system, universal suffrage and balances of power to evaluate China's political development, which is obviously due to prejudice and misunderstanding caused by lack of understanding of China's national conditions. Since its birth, the CPC has pursued democracy and freedom for the Chinese people, and safeguarding democracy and human rights has been written into the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Under the leadership of the CPC, China practices socialist democracy, which is different from western democracy and the Soviet model. It is a democracy that covers the whole process and is broadest in scope, reflects the will of the people, suits China's national conditions, and is supported by the people. The socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics has enabled China to grow into the world's second largest economy and largest trading nation. Every day, 16,000 enterprises are born in China, and more than 120 new foreign enterprises flood into China, the world's largest consumer market and largest investment destination. China has more than one billion Internet users, almost every Chinese has access to basic health care and pension insurance, and they drive 50 percent of the world's new energy vehicles on the world's longest highway network. China has also effectively brought COVID-19 under control and extended a helping hand to people around the world. Political reform and progress have played a significant role in promoting China's economic and social development.

  The article argued that, from the perspective of the meaning of "democracy", few would argue that China does not meet the criteria for democracy. What China rejects is the so-called "standard answer" of Western democracy, which is also felt by many so-called "undemocratic countries" in Africa. Botswana has a unique chieftains' house system, which provides important consultation for its parliament. This is similar to China's efforts to explore a democratic path suitable for its own national conditions. Just as Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, democracy is not Coca-Cola. If there is only one model and one civilization on earth, the world will lose its vigor and vitality.