I would argue that Singapore espouses democratic ideals like transparency, tolerance, a fair court system, etc., even if their government has effectively gerrymandered the city's population to ensure the ruling party stays in place. The elections are certainly not shams, and the ruling party would win them in a fair fight regardless.

It is a very Confucian form of democratic society, but democracy it is.

I do think that China's more enlightened leaders are probably hoping that they'll be able to use Singapore as a model for their own society at some point in the future.