Beijing - Hu Jintao said here Thursday that China will continue to carry out reform of the political structure, but the country will never copy a Western political system.

"We must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out the reform of the political structure, and make people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice," Hu said in a keynote address at the opening of the CPC's 18th National Congress.

Hu said the CPC should place high importance on systemic building, give full play to the strength of the socialist political system and draw on the political achievements of other societies.

"However, we will never copy a Western political system," he said.

Stressing the unity of the leadership of the Party, the position of the people as masters of the country and law-based governance, Hu said the CPC should place greater emphasis on improving the way the Party exercises leadership and governance to ensure that it leads the people in effectively governing the country.

"We should attach greater importance to improving the system of democracy and diversifying the forms of democracy to ensure that the people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law," he said.

The CPC should give greater scope to the important role the rule of law plays in the country's governance and in social management, uphold the unity, sanctity and authority of the country's legal system and ensure that the people enjoy extensive rights and freedoms as prescribed by law.