China and Rwanda have demonstrated that democracy is not a one size fits all phenomenon as the West wants the world to believe. Democracy is all about the will of the people and comes from within rather than a product imported from outside. Rwanda and China have demonstrated that all countries are capable of developing their own models that can bring about development without cloning the Western ones and therefore, refuse to be diverted by unrealistic foreign perceptions. The two countries pursue the state economic development theory where the state takes a major role in macro-economic planning and make crucial political decisions and interventions that affect economic development. This model involves careful scrutiny of the right policies by leaders, involvement in directing planning processes, effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms of development all of which are key to the success of countries like China and Rwanda. Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda have demonstrated effective leadership credentials that have ushered in their countries a new era of transformational governance never experienced before.