Democracy promotion with ‘Chinese Characteristics’: how the Chinese Communist Party diffuses narratives on democracy
Bader, Julia / Christine HackeneschExterne Publikationen (2026)
in: International Affairs 102, 2053-2072
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiag147
Open access
Since around 2020, China has increasingly promoted strategic narratives that frame its political system as a distinct form of democracy and position its visions for global politics as an alternative to the western-led liberal international order. This article analyses one institutional mechanism through which China diffuses these narratives internationally: the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party. We show how this body has become more assertive in contesting and diffusing China's narratives on democracy and how it strategically adapts its approach to different audiences, targeting particularly actors in the global South. The article bridges comparative politics, International Relations and China studies by conceptualizing China's democracy narratives as a form of narrative contestation. More broadly, the article demonstrates how struggles over democracy in world politics have become battles over legitimacy and narrative authority.
