Xi stresses efforts to write new chapter in building modern socialist country in all respects

Xi noted that to plan and advance the work of the Party and the country, we must thoroughly review the international and domestic situations to have a clear understanding of the strategic opportunities, risks and challenges we face. At present, profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly across the world, exhibiting more distinctive features of our world, our times, and the historic change we are facing. China faces new strategic opportunities and new strategic tasks, enters a new strategic stage, and is confronted with new strategic demands and strategic environment for its development. The risks and challenges we are to face and the problems we are to address are more complex than ever before. The whole Party must be more mindful of potential dangers, be always prepared for worst-case scenarios and have a strong will and greater capability to respond to even harder situation. We must formulate right strategies to respond to changes, foster opportunities, and make breakthroughs, and rely on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for our cause. The most essential is to manage our own affairs well, Xi said.

Xi said that the five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been unusual and extraordinary. The CPC Central Committee has kept in mind the overall picture for national rejuvenation and major changes in the world unseen in a century, united and led the whole Party, the armed forces and the people of all ethnic groups in effectively coping with the grave and complex international situation and a series of risks and challenges, and pushed forward socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era in an energetic manner.

We have continued to strengthen the Party's overall leadership and the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. We have worked with full strength to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, boosted high-quality development and taken swift yet steady steps in advancing reforms. We have promoted the whole-process people's democracy, developed advanced socialist culture and improved public well-being. We have pooled our efforts in eradicating absolute poverty and spurred ecological conservation. We have defended national security, maintained overall social stability, advanced the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, safeguarded peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and carried out major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts.

We celebrated the centenary of the founding of the CPC and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and carried out a campaign to encourage the study of the Party's history among Party members. In particular, in the face of the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, we have put the people and their lives first and launched an all-out people's war to curb the epidemic. We have protected people's lives and health to the maximum extent and achieved the best performance in the world in coordinating economic development and epidemic response. We have enforced the central government's overall jurisdiction over the special administrative regions in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Laws, and formulated and implemented the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, securing a firm control over the overall situation of Hong Kong.

Facing the rapid changes in international situation, we have worked hard to safeguard our national dignity and core interests, keeping in hand the initiative in our country's development and security. We have made further efforts to exercise full and rigorous governance over the Party, worked ceaselessly to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline, and made coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not have the opportunity, desire or audacity to engage in corruption. As a result, the Party's ties with the people have become closer, and a healthy political atmosphere has been fostered and developed within the Party, providing strong political underpinnings for the development of the cause of the Party and the country, Xi said.

Xi noted that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. Over the past decade, we have upheld Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, fully implemented the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the Party's basic theory, line and policy. We have taken a host of strategic approaches, carried out a series of transformative moves and made many breakthroughs and remarkable progress. We have also solved many tough problems that remained unsolved for a long time, accomplished many things of vital importance and long-term significance, and withstood the test brought about by risks and challenges from political, economic, ideological, and natural domains. We have scored historic achievements and historic shifts in the cause of the Party and the country. Such great changes in the first decade of the new era are of landmark significance in the history of the Party, the PRC, reform and opening up, and the development of socialism and the Chinese nation, Xi said.