The Communist Party of China (CPC),as a leading and ruling party in China, needs other democratic parties' supervision, said Chen Xiqing, deputy head of the United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee Thursday.

Chen made the remarks at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office. The CPC and other democratic parties in China cooperate on the basis of "long-term coexistence and mutual supervision, treating each other with all sincerity and sharing weal and woe", he said.

Democratic parties can offer advice as well as criticism to fulfill their supervision functions, he said, noting that in recent years, governments at all levels invited over 5,000 democratic party members to act as ombudsmen and inspectors.

He said all democratic parties, which are equal to the CPC, have independent rules of organization.

(People’s Daily December 5, 2003)