BEIJING, July 1 -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday called on his comrades to "stay true to the mission" taken up by the CPC 95 years ago.

"One who wants to stride ahead should not forget the path that was trodden. No matter how far we will travel and to whatever bright future, we should not forget what we have done and why we set out to do it," said Xi, at a rally marking the 95th founding anniversary of the CPC in Beijing.

In the speech, Xi lauded prestigious past CPC leaders including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun, and martyrs who died for the New China as well as all people with lofty ideals who fought for the independence of the Chinese nation and the liberation of the Chinese people since the modern times.

He called on CPC members to "uphold the fighting spirit" of the Party's founding members and their commitment to the people.

The CPC was founded when China was in an unprecedented national crisis and it set out to liberate its country and people from domestic plight and foreign invasion.

In its 95-year history, the CPC central leadership of three generations, with Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin as the core respectively, as well as the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary, have led the Party and the country to overcome numerous difficulties and challenges, Xi said.

In his speech, he summarized three major accomplishments of the CPC.

-- The first is that it led Chinese people to revolution, won national independence and founded the People's Republic of China, ending the country's semi-feudal and semi-colonial status and realizing a historic transformation from a feudal autocratic politics to a "people's democracy."

-- The second is that the CPC completed establishing a socialist system after the revolution, laying a solid foundation for the country to head towards prosperity.

-- The third is that the Party carried out a "new great revolution" of reform and opening up, bringing about a notable increase in the country's economic and national strength.

Without the leadership of a party armed with advanced theories and strong commitment and dedication, Chinese nation would not have been able to change its fate of being oppressed and enslaved and the country would not have become united and prosperous, Xi said.

China should therefore adhere to and never stray from the leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi said.

"We are not intending to seek comfort from our success, nor bury our heads in the past to avoid facing today's challenges and problems."

Warning that it is a long and tough mission to develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, Xi urged the whole Party to be prepared to face up to challenges and risks, remove barriers and solve problems.