To implement the achievements of the second international forum on "Democracy: The Common Value of All Mankind", the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences organized the first Forum of the Youth Research Group of the Global Think Tank Network for Democracy Studies in Beijing on November 29th, 2023. The forum was held in a combined online and offline form and attended by more than 30 experts and scholars from China, Nepal, Cambodia, Kenya, Portugal, Cameroon, Libya and other countries and regions. 

In a speech given at the opening ceremony of the forum, Professor Mo Jihong, Director of the Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese and foreign guests who made contributions to the forum and encouraged them to take democracy as a common topic, seek the broadest consensus, and promote the theoretical research on democracy in their respective countries. Professor Gao Hongru, Chairman of the Nepal-China Friendship Forum, emphasized the significance of this forum and pointed out that the forum was an international dialogue between young scholars on democracy. He expressed his appreciation of the platform and the organization of the Global Think Tank Network for Democracy Studies for their efforts in deepening the understanding of democracy and promoting the realization of the ideal of democracy. In his speech, Professor Liao Fan, deputy director of the Bureau of International Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed warm congratulations on the convening of the forum. He introduced the Global Think Tank Network for Democracy Studies, which was initiated by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and jointly established by 42 Chinese and foreign think tanks related to democracy studies, and called for their joint effort to make the Forum a well-known brand. 

The forum consisted of four panels. The first panel, which took "Democracy and Development", as its theme and had five speakers, was presided over by Mr. Liu Peng, director of the External Communication Center of Social Sciences in China Press. The first speaker, Ms. Seng Kimeng from the International Relations Institute of Cambodia of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, shared her understanding of democracy and explained its relationship with political culture and economic development in her presentation “Democratic Process and People Participation”. The second speaker, Mr. Wanjiru Justus Thuthi from the African Policy Research Institute of China Africa Research Center in Kenya, expounded on the situation of global democracy and development and pointed out that the relationship between democracy and development must be viewed dialectically in his presentation "Democracy and Economic Development". The third speaker, Dr. Yang Kangkang, an assistant professor at the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that the development of the whole-process people's democracy and the realization of common prosperity are embedded in Chinese modernization and he summed up the related experience and practice of Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province in his presentation "Promoting Common Prosperity for All People Through the Whole-Process People's Democracy - Based on the Practical Experience of Jiaxing". The fourth speaker, Mr. Mahendra Subedi, a senior researcher at the Nepal-China Friendship Forum in Nepal, pointed out in his presentation "Democracy and Sustainable Development" that there is no one-size-fits-all standard for democracy and that democracy and sustainable development complement each other. The fifth speaker, Dr. Xu Chi, an assistant professor at the Institute of Law, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, held in her presentation "Democracy in the Fight against Corruption Crimes in China: Role and Responsibility" that democracy plays an important role in the fight against corruption crimes and China has developed a distinctive democratic anti-corruption crime system. 

The second panel of the forum, which took "Diversity of Democratic Practices" as its theme, was presided over by Mr. Li Yang, Director of the European Division of the Bureau of International Cooperation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and had four speakers. The first speaker, Mr. Thun Chhay Piseth, Deputy Director of Development of International Politics and Security of International Relations Institute of Cambodia of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, introduced Cambodia's democracy process, challenges faced by it, and countermeasures thereof, and expounded on the challenges facing Cambodia's sustainable development in his presentation "Democracy and Sustainable Development in Cambodia". The second speaker, Dr. Wang Huiru, an assistant professor at the Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, interpreted the whole-process people's democracy from the four aspects, namely theory, institution, practice, and significance, in her presentation “Theoretical Advantages and Institutional Innovation of the Whole Process People's Democracy”. The third speaker, Mr. Filbert Akieen Jarjugwiah from African Development Associates in Liberia, held in his presentation “Democracy and Innovation: Citizens-Led Approach” that the process of democracy should be led by citizens and he put forward some suggestions on promoting the innovation of citizen-led democracy practice. The fourth speaker, Dr. Dennis Munene Mwaniki, Executive Director of the African Policy Research Institute of the China Africa Research Center in Kenya, held in his presentation “Democracy and the Path to Modernization” that each country should have its own development path of democracy. The Chinese-style modernization breaks the myth that modernization equals Westernization and enlightens Africa in exploring the road of modernization. 

The third panel of the forum, which took "Democracy and the Rule of Law" as its theme, was presided over by Ms. Weng Rong, a reporter from the External Communication Center of Social Sciences in China Press, and had four speakers. The first speaker, Dr. Diogo de Brito Calado from Portugal China Observation Institute, held in his presentation “Modernization: A Path to Democracy” that democracy is a government system that requires public participation, democracy cannot be separated from the rule of law, and modernization is not equal to Westernization. The second speaker, Dr. Liu Zhixin, an assistant professor at the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expounded on the interactive relationship between democracy and the rule of law since the founding of New China, and pointed out that juxtaposing democracy and the rule of law and coordinating their functions is an important secret of China's stable development in his presentation “What Does the Requirement of a Statutory Provision Mean？”. The third speaker, Dr. Amélie Aristelle Ekassi from W. E. B. Du Bois Institute in Cameroon, analyzed the characteristics of the socialist rule of law, pointed out in her presentation “The Social Law as a Fundamental Basis of Democracy: A Crossed Analysis of Marcien Towa’s and Xi Jinping’s Reflections” that democracy is not an invention of the West and that only by proceeding from the concrete reality of society can we find a development path suitable for our country. The fourth speaker, Dr. Zhu Xuelei, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out in his presentation “The Mechanism of the Occurrence of China's Constitutionality Review System in the Democratic Perspective” that constitutional review is an inevitable way to bring the socialist democracy under the rule of law and he expounded on the direction of development of the Chinese constitutional review system in the future.

The fourth panel of the forum, which took "Democracy and Global Governance" as its theme, was presided over by Professor Zhi Zhenfeng, Chief Editor of the International Network for Democracy Theory Studies and a research fellow at the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and had three speakers. The first speaker, Dr. Peng Cenxuan, an associate professor at the Institute of International Rule of Law of Wuhan University, held in her presentation “Paradigm-shift of Peace-making via Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind” that the concept of "a Community with Shared Future for Mankind" is conducive to global peace and development and she summarized China's practice of building peace with the concept of “a Community with Shared Future for Mankind”. The second speaker, Dr. Léon-Marie Nkolo Ndjodo from W. E. B. Du Bois Institute in Cameroon, pointed out in his presentation “The People's Republic of China and the New Democracy: An Option for the South?” that each country should choose its own model of democracy in light of its own national conditions and that China's model of democracy can provide useful experience for countries in the global South, including African countries. The third speaker, Dr. Shen Qian, an assistant research fellow at the Institute of International Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, held in her presentation “Democracy and Global Governance for Infectious Disease Control in a Post-Epidemic Context” that different civilizations should be guided by common interests and values, seek common ground while reserving differences, carry out dialogue on an equal footing, jointly solve various problems caused by anti-globalization in the post-pandemic era, and work together to build a community with shared future for mankind. 

In his concluding remarks made at the closing ceremony, Professor Xie Zengyi, deputy director of the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that the forum was rich in content and deep-going in discussion. Through the discussions, the participating scholars generally believed that democracy is the common value and aspiration of all mankind, democracy is diverse, and modernization does not mean Westernization. The Chinese whole-process people's democracy is different from the democracy in the West in that it is an extensive and genuine democracy. Countries should learn from each other through exchange in the theory and practice of democracy. The seminar was a complete success.