BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- An international forum has concluded in Beijing after world experts and scholars held in-depth discussions on democracy, with a global think tank on democracy launched.

The International Forum on Democracy: The Shared Human Values, which closed on Wednesday, gathered more than 500 guests from over 120 countries and regions as well as 20 international organizations online and on-site.

Running from Dec. 4 to 15 in three phases, the forum explored the essence of democracy from three perspectives: the common value of humanity, democracy and national governance, and the diversity of democracy.

Attendees agreed that democracy reflects the progress of human civilization and called on people to respect the paths to democracy that are independently chosen by people of all countries.

Acts of bossing others around under the guise of democracy and instigating confrontation and division should only be opposed, attendees agreed.

The forum's closing ceremony announced the launch of a global think tank network for democracy studies with participation from more than 40 research institutes, proposing four initiatives including respecting diversity in models of civilization and democracy, and opposing the creation of confrontation and division in the name of democracy.

The forum was hosted by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council Information Office, and co-organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the China Media Group and the China International Publishing Group. Enditem