We have also seen reforms that end reeducation through labor and that seek to protect the judiciary from political influence. In other words there has been a good beginning to a difficult period of necessary reform.

Western scholars and media often tend to view rule of law and democracy as related - if not inseparable. My view is that rule of law refers to a condition where fair and humanistic laws prevail in the governance of a nation and where its administration is fair. The measure of the success for this is the attractiveness of a country's judicial system - or its judicial soft power - to the population at home and partners abroad. This refers not just to the letter of the law but also its practice.

In terms of the evolution of Chinese democracy, we know that the elections of village committees and village leaders in China's million-plus villages have been held for more than a quarter of a century. Eighty percent of China's villages have reportedly conducted satisfactory village committee elections, so we can surmise that there has been much growth in this school for democracy and considerable experience gleaned from it. Not many people outside China know of the eight recognized political parties at the national level and their role in the governance structure in relation to the project of development. While the formulation is different to that of traditional western democracies, as there is consensus within the eight-party group as to which party should govern, this and the village democracy stories need to be told. Given the deep desire for system stability, an attractive system at national level might include a Chinese version of the Electoral College in the United States. But, no doubt, in the end any model that China employs will be the result of the wisdom of the Chinese people.

The author is director of the Soft Power Advocacy and Research Centre, Macquarie University, Australia.