Xi delivers speech at Spring Festival reception, extending festive greetings to all Chinese

BEIJING, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council held the Spring Festival reception for the year of 2024 at the Great Hall of the People on the morning of Feb. 8.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, Xi extended Spring Festival greetings to the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese.

Xi emphasized that the outgoing Year of the Rabbit was the first year to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress on all fronts. Faced with an extraordinarily complex international environment and arduous tasks in promoting reform and development, and maintaining stability, we rallied the will and strength of our people behind the quest for Chinese modernization, coordinated both domestic and international imperatives, worked hard and tenaciously, and forged ahead with fortitude, said Xi. We overcame a multitude of difficulties and challenges and made solid strides on the new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects, he noted.

Li Qiang presided over the gathering. Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng, among other leaders, attended the event.

In the Great Hall of the People, the banquet hall was brightly lit and radiant with festive cheer. People from all walks of life gathered to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival. The air was joyous, auspicious and harmonious.

At around 10 a.m., Xi and other Party and state leaders entered the hall to lively music. They waved to the crowd and exchanged greetings and holiday wishes with them. The hall erupted into rapturous applause.

In his speech, Xi noted that over the past year, we implemented the new development philosophy on all fronts, adhered to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, decisively downgraded the level of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control, and promoted the recovery and development of the economy. The total economic output exceeded 126 trillion yuan and the grain output set a new record high, with employment and price levels remaining generally stable. China presented itself as a standout in the global context. New breakthroughs were made in scientific and technological innovation, new productive forces took shape rapidly, reform and opening up were deepened continuously, a new round of reform of the Party and state institutions was completed basically, the ecological environment was improved, and the modernization of national defense and armed forces witnessed great strides. We hosted Universiade in Chengdu and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, seeing Chinese athletes delivering outstanding performances. We made significant advances in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance and fighting against corruption, constantly consolidating a healthy political environment.

We put the people first, worked hard to ensure and improve their well-being, continued to consolidate and expand the achievements made in poverty alleviation, worked hard to address the difficulties and problems that concerned people the most, made all-out efforts to respond to natural disasters and promote post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, and maintained overall social stability. We actively supported Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into China's overall development, firmly opposed separatist moves for "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and vigorously safeguarded China's sovereignty, security, and development interests. We made solid progress in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, adding certainty and positive energy to a world of change and disorder, and demonstrating our sense of responsibility for building a community with a shared future for mankind, he added.

Xi stressed that looking back at the hard work in the past year, we have gained a deeper understanding that promoting the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization is not only a bright road for the Chinese people to pursue a better and happier life, but also a just one to promote world peace and development. As long as we do not deviate from the path we follow, remain committed to our original aspirations, and are of a single mind in making consistent endeavors, we are bound to overcome all difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead and achieve success.

Xi noted that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is a critical year for achieving the goals and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan. It is imperative to adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and materialize the requirements of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress and establishing the new before discarding the old. Solid efforts are also required to faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, secure both high-quality development and high-level security, give prominence to key areas, grasp key points, and forge ahead and work hard, so as to boost economic vitality, prevent and mitigate risks, improve social expectations, consolidate and promote the momentum of economic recovery, further improve people's well-being, and ensure overall social harmony and stability.

Xi stressed that it is imperative to further deepen reform across the board, work hard to overcome deep-seated institutional barriers and structural problems, and fully unlock potential for entrepreneurship and creativity among all members of society, so as to inject great vigor into Chinese modernization, which will help it surmount all difficulties and forge ahead with indomitable will.

Xi pointed out that as the totem of the Chinese nation, dragon is deemed strong, fearless, benevolent and powerful, and it not only embodies the Chinese nation's spirit of ceaselessly pursuing self-improvement, hard work and enterprise for 5,000 years, but also encapsulates the determination and aspiration of hundreds of millions of Chinese people to build China into a strong country and realize national rejuvenation. In the upcoming Year of the Dragon, we hope that people across the country embrace a spirit of vitality and determination as represented by dragon. With great momentum and ambition, we will explore new ground with hard work and dedication, collectively writing a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

Art workers gave a wonderful performance at the gathering.

Leading officials and retired senior officials of the CPC Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, as well as the Central Military Commission attended the gathering.

The gathering was also attended by leading officials of central Party and state departments, and the military and people's organizations, as well as leading officials of the Beijing municipal government. Also present were leading officials of the non-CPC political parties' central committees and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, representatives of personages without party affiliation, representatives of retired veterans and officials, renowned experts and scholars, and representatives from all walks of life in Beijing.