BEIJING -- The latest theoretical development by the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been raised by the Central leadership in view of China's present preliminary stage of socialism to cope with many immediate challenges and woes for sustainable progress.

Hu Jintao, on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee, expounded on Monday on the political concept, which was put forward in 2003, in the political report to the 17th CPC National Congress that opened Monday morning.

"In light of the basic reality that China is in the primary stage of socialism, the Scientific Outlook on Development has been formulated to meet new requirements of development by analyzing China's own practice and drawing on the experience of other countries in development," Hu told more than 2,000 delegates at the live telecast meeting.

Some of the major features of the preliminary stage include:

-- The economic strength has increased markedly, but the overall productivity remains low, the capacity for independent innovation is weak, and the long-standing structural problems and the extensive mode of growth are yet to be fundamentally addressed.

-- The socialist market economy is basically in place, but there remain structural and institutional obstacles slowing down development, and further reform in difficult areas is confronted with deep-seated problems.

-- A relatively comfortable standard of living has been achieved for the people as a whole, but the trend of a growing gap in income distribution has not been thoroughly reversed, there are still a considerable number of impoverished and low-income people in both urban and rural areas, and it has become more difficult to accommodate the interests of all sides.

-- Efforts to balance development have yielded remarkable results, but the foundation of agriculture remains weak, the rural areas still lag behind in development, and the country faces an arduous task to narrow the urban-rural and interregional gaps in development and promote balanced economic and social development.

-- Socialist democracy has continued to develop and we have made steady progress in implementing the rule of law as a fundamental principle, but efforts to improve democracy and the legal system fall somewhat short of the need to expand people's democracy and promote economic and social development, and political restructuring has to be deepened.

-- Socialist culture is thriving as never before, but the people have growing cultural needs and have become more independent, selective, changeable and diverse in thinking, setting higher requirements for the development of an advanced socialist culture.

-- The society has become evidently more dynamic, but profound changes have taken place in the structure of society, in the way society is organized and in the pattern of social interests, and many new issues have emerged in social development and management.

-- China is opening wider to the outside world, but international competition is becoming increasingly acute, pressure in the form of the economic and scientific dominance of developed countries will continue for a long time to come, both predictable and unpredictable risks are increasing, and the need to balance domestic development and opening to the outside world is greater than ever.

All the above-mentioned features boil down to the fact that " the reality that China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time to come has not changed," he said.

"Stressing recognition of the basic reality is not meant to belittle ourselves, wallow in backwardness, or encourage unrealistic pursuit of quick results," Hu said. "Rather, such recognition will serve as the basis of our endeavor to advance reform and plan for development."

The cure for such challenges and woes lies in the Scientific Outlook on Development, which Hu said it "takes development as its essence, putting people first as its core, comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development as its basic requirement, and overall consideration as its fundamental approach."

Hu said to thoroughly apply the Scientific Outlook on Development "we must work energetically to build a harmonious socialist society," which features democracy and the rule of law, equity and justice, honesty and fraternity, vigor and vitality, stability and order, and harmony between man and nature."

"We will spare no effort to solve the most specific problems of the utmost and immediate concern to the people and strive to create a situation in which all people do their best, find their proper places in society and live together in harmony, so as to provide a favorable social environment for development," Hu said.