BEIJING -- A white paper released on Saturday has expounded on China's whole-process people's democracy under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The white paper, titled "China: Democracy That Works," was released by the State Council Information Office.

Whole-process people's democracy is a creation of the CPC in leading the people to pursue, develop and realize democracy, embodying the Party's innovation in advancing China's democratic theories, systems and practices, said the white paper.

The Party's history of struggle is a course of rallying the people and leading them to explore, establish and develop whole-process people's democracy, said the white paper.

It is a logical outcome of history, theory and practice based on the strenuous efforts of the people under the leadership of the Party. It is a requisite for maintaining the very nature of the Party and fulfilling its fundamental purpose, the document said.

Whole-process people's democracy, giving full expression to the socialist nature of the state and the people's principal position, serves to better represent the people's will, protect their rights and fully unleash their potential to create, it said.

Whole-process people's democracy is a complete system with supporting mechanisms and procedures, and has been fully tested through wide participation, according to the white paper.

It integrates two major democratic models -- electoral democracy and consultative democracy. It operates a democratic system covering a population of more than 1.4 billion from 56 ethnic groups of a vast country, making possible the wide and sustained participation of all its people, the white paper noted.

Whole-process people's democracy has distinctive Chinese characteristics; it also exemplifies common values and contributes China's ideas and solutions to the political progress of humanity, the white paper said.

CPC leadership is the fundamental guarantee for whole-process people's democracy. It is no easy job for a country as big as China to fully represent and address the concerns of its 1.4 billion people. Therefore, it must have a robust and centralized leadership, the white paper added.