Democracies have a far better chance of sustaining economic reform than one-party states, Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, has told the Financial Times in a rare top-level assertion of his country over neighbouring China.

The architect of India's market liberalisations and a respected economist, Mr Singh has placed the long-term success of the world's largest democracy over the potential fragility of the fastest growing large economy under Communist party rule.

“The Chinese have certain advantages: the fact that it's a single-party government,” Mr Singh said before travelling to tomorrow's G20 summit of developed and emerging economies in London. “But I do believe in the long run in the fact that India is a functioning democracy, committed to the rule of law. Our system is slow to move but I'm confident that once decisions are taken they are going to be far more durable.”