BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The multi-party cooperation system is a major manifestation of socialist democracy of China, says a white paper published by the Information Office of the State Council of China on Thursday.

"The leadership of the Communist Party of China and full exercise of socialist democracy are the essential requirements of the multi-party cooperation system," says the white paper entitled "China's Political Party System".

The paper says the multi-party cooperation system opens up an institutionalized channel for the political participation of democratic parties, incorporates various social forces into the political system.

It says China is a large, populous country with a variety of social classes, strata and groups. On the basis of common fundamental interests, differences and contradictions in specific interests exist among the people.

"The multi-party cooperation system can effectively reflect the interests, wishes and demands of all social sectors, clears and broadens the channels for the expression of interest, coordinates interest relations, gives due consideration to the interests of allies, and thus maintains social harmony and stability," the white paper says.

It says China's arduous and complicated modernization task requires a political system that has a strong function in social integration. Combining the firm leadership of the CPC with extensive cooperation with democratic parties, the multi-party cooperation system has forged a mighty power of social integration.

Mutual supervision between the CPC and the democratic parties is conducive to strengthening the supervision function within the system and avoiding various drawbacks arising from lack of supervision, it says.

The multi-party cooperation system replaces confrontation and contention with cooperation and consultation, effectively avoiding political instability and frequent changes of regime resulting from discord among political parties, thus reducing internal frictions of the society to the maximum, and safeguarding social and political stability and solidarity, says the paper.

According to the paper, China's multi-party cooperation system gives expression to the intrinsic requirement of socialist democracy that people are the masters of their own country, as well as the characteristics and advantages of China's political system.