Non-communist parties hail multi-party system

BEIJING - Non-communist political parties have voiced support for China's multi-party system following a visit by Xi Jinping, the new helmsman of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The multi-party cooperation and political consultation system has been improved in recent years, helping drive the cause of the China Democratic League (CDL), said Guo Yong, head of the social service department of the CDL Central Committee, one of China's eight non-communist political parties.

It has become a tradition for new CPC leaders to visit non-communist political parties and the All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce, said Guo.

Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, visited the new leaders of China's eight non-communist parties and the ACFIC on December 24 and 25.

Ten years ago, Hu Jintao did the same after he was elected top leader of the CPC.

During Xi's visit, he said China will continue to use the multi-party cooperation system and encouraged non-communist parties to fully exert their advantages while participating in state affairs.

Xi's remarks embody the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, said Wang Mingqi, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Shandong Provincial Committee.

Wang said China's democratic political system combines the supplementary and mutually advantageous concepts of elections and consultations.

"Xi's visit fully demonstrated the importance attached by the CPC Central Committee to multi-party cooperation," said Chen Changzhi, who was re-elected chairman of the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA) on December 20.

Chen said he was impressed by Xi's knowledge of the CNDCA's history.