President Xi Jinping speaks at the closing meeting of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. （Photo: Xinhua/Yao Dawei, Liu Weibing)
Country will never seek its development at the expense of others' interests, he says
China will never seek its development at the cost of sacrificing other nations' interests, and its development will pose no threat to any other country, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark at the closing meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing. [Special coverage]
"China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion," he said. "Only those who are accustomed to threatening others see everyone as a threat."
China will stay on the path of peaceful development, and continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, Xi said.
"The Chinese people's sincere wish and practical action to contribute to the peace and development of humanity should not be misinterpreted, nor should it be distorted," Xi said. "Justice will prevail!"
China endeavors to uphold international fairness and justice, Xi said, adding that China will not impose its will on others.
He said China will contribute more Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to the world and push for building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.
"Let the sunshine of a community with a shared future for humanity illuminate the world!" Xi said.
Xi stressed the leadership of the Communist Party of China over all areas of endeavor in every part of the country.
"The Party is the highest force for political leadership and the fundamental guarantee of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Xi said.
The leadership of the CPC is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, he said, urging CPC members to shoulder the historic responsibility of leading the people in the great social revolution.
To this end, the CPC must have the courage to reform itself and adhere to the commitment to serve the public good and exercise power in the interest of the people, step up strict governance over the Party and resolutely clear out all types of inaction and corruption, he said.
Xi said the CPC should be the backbone of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, work hard and share the comforts and hardships with the people and always maintain heart-to-heart communion with them.
He called on all political parties, people's organizations, ethnic groups and people of all sectors to rally closely around the CPC Central Committee and march forward with one heart and one mind.
Xi called for more effort in achieving the goal of building China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of the century.
The president called for more energy and more concrete measures in deepening reform in all areas, expanding opening-up, applying a new vision of development, promoting high-quality economic development and developing a modernized economy, so as to better demonstrate the vitality of the socialist market economy.
"We will devote more energy and take more concrete measures in developing socialist democracy, upholding the unity of Party leadership, the running of the country by the people and law-based governance, building a country of socialist rule of law, promoting the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance, consolidating and developing the broadest possible patriotic united front to ensure that people enjoy democratic rights in a broader, fuller and more genuine way," Xi said.
More energy and more concrete measures are also required in developing a great socialist culture in China, cultivating and observing core socialist values and promoting the creative evolution and development of fine traditional Chinese culture, according to Xi.
"We will devote more energy and take more concrete measures in ensuring and improving people's living standards, strengthening and developing new approaches to social governance, resolutely winning the battle against poverty, promoting social fairness and justice and making steady progress in ensuring people's access to child care, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing and social assistance," Xi said.
Xi also called for more energy and more concrete measures to advance the building of an ecological civilization, accelerate efforts to develop green production and ways of life and work harder to tackle prominent environmental problems.
Xi pledged to uphold absolute Party leadership over the people's armed forces, fully implement the Party's strategy on strengthening military capabilities for the new era, enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform and technology and run them in accordance with law.
