Western democracy as represented by the U.S. political model "is crumbling," the Global Times, China's nationalistic newspaper, said in an unsigned editorial on Friday.
The state-run Chinese newspaper was weighing in on President Donald Trump's current troubles regarding ongoing inquiries into his presidential campaign and Russia.
"Every country has its own troubles. The U.S. model represents Western democracy, but it is crumbling, and the resulting social division has become more and more serious," the newspaper said.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to lead the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Among subjects being investigated are possible links between Trump campaign associates and the Kremlin.
"More juicy details will continue to appear and the rifts may become wider. Trump will become one of the most frequently accused Americans," Global Times added.
The paper, however, acknowledged "an advantage of the American system" in that the country will not be "engulfed by chaos" should the president be caught in lawsuit.
"Someone has pointed out that no matter how chaotic the White House and Capitol Hill are, the overall operation of the U.S. will not be a major problem as long as the enterprises and social organizations in the country are stable. This is seen as an advantage of the American system," it said.
Yet even though U.S. society is still relatively stable, "the political tumult can't be taken as an advantage of the U.S. system."
"The fact is that U.S. politics is in trouble, and the benefits brought by its system are being squandered."
For more on Global Time's take on U.S. politics, see the editorial.