Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, director and lead author of the UNDP's human development report 2002, said China's contribution to human development in the last decade has been significant.

"Poverty has grown everywhere in the world, but China has done very well in reducing the number of people living in absolute poverty in the last decade," she said. "It's easy to see the progress China has made."

The annual report, titled "Deepening democracy in a fragmented world," assessed the current situation of human development while calling for more participation and accountability not only in country-level governance but also in international organizations. The report listed China as a good example of a developing country because it has not only achieved fast economic growth but made progress in expanding people's participation and accountability in social lives.

"The quality of political governance is becoming more democratic in China while at the same time great improvement in social development is occurring," Fukuda-Parr told participants at a ceremony in which she also explained that development and democracy are not conflicting ideas in developing countries.

By promoting village-level elections since the 1980s, Chinese people have been given a greater voice in formulating national reform policies and programs. Much of the public service system is being professionalized, and there have been ambitious efforts to combat corruption, the report said.

While acknowledging that different countries have different kinds of democracies due to history and circumstance, Fukada-Parr said "the world is very fragmented because the differences between rich and poor countries and powerful and less powerful countries are growing.

"What we need is political order, which can make the world more fair."

China can surely have its own kind of democracy, and the world should respect it, she said.

"China is definitely a very impressive country whose role in Asia is growing," she said. "It is also a major factor in the future global economy and market. China is charting its own course in development and democracy. Many reforms have taken place in the last decade, and I hope China will continue to improve people's well-being."

(China Daily July 25, 2002)