From The Washington Post:
China dropped another hint of internal debate over political reform Friday, publishing commentaries saying the country should shun European-style democratic socialism.
The brief commentaries, by a pair of established Beijing academics, ran side by side in People’s Daily, the official Communist Party organ. Both argued that China could borrow useful policies from democratic countries but should remain faithful to the “socialism with Chinese characteristics” that has been official doctrine here since the 1980s.
“The path of democratic socialism is not able to save China,” said Xin Xiangyang of the government-sponsored Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Only the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics can make China flourish.” [Full Text]
See also China paper rejects reform calls by Reuters and “Party journal advocates democracy: A critique by the opposition” from the Reading China blog.