Chinese President Hu Jintao promised to address social fissures, a degraded environment and corruption during his second term as China's top leader.

Hu revised one well-established goal, the quadrupling of economic output from 2000 to 2020, saying that the party would now aim for a fourfold increase in "per capita GDP" instead of overall gross domestic product over that period.

The switch to a per capita target reflects President Hu's emphasis on populist goals. But China's population increase - estimated at about 200 million during the 20-year period - makes the goal more ambitious. That suggests that Hu thinks the economy can outperform what he and his predecessors considered possible - or prudent - at the last party congress in 2002.

He called the international situation favorable to China, saying a "trend toward a multipolar world is irreversible." He offered to hold peace talks with Taiwan's ruling party, as long as the island authorities embrace one-China principle.

In defining "scientific development," Mr. Hu discussed the growing gap between rich and poor. He said that the economy relied too much on investment and not enough on consumption, and that the leadership should do more to protect the environment.

"We must adopt an enlightened approach to development that results in expanded production, a better life and sound ecological and environmental conditions," Hu said.

President Hu said the party should become more responsive to the public. He also called for "intra-party democracy," allowing more party officials to participate in decision making.

Corruption, Hu said, poses a threat to the party's survival, a particularly resonant issue after the leadership stripped the former Shanghai Party boss, Chen Liangyu, in one of the highest-level corruption scandals in its history.