The Communist Party of China (CPC) has brought an all-around improvement in Chinese people's lives over the past decade, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday, October 16, as he presided over the opening of the 20th CPC National Congress.

President Xi walked onstage to a thunderous applause from a packed audience who had gathered at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

In about 100 minutes, Xi summarized a report in the opening session of the congress that, among others, urged CPC members to be mindful of the original aspiration and founding mission, but also to have the courage and ability to carry on the fight.

"From this day forward, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization,” he said.

The five-yearly meeting is the first national congress of the CPC after its centenary in 2021, when the Party led the Chinese people to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The Chinese head of state also celebrated the party’s continued efforts to eradicate Covid-19, which has for the past two years placed heavy restrictions on people’s lives and also affected the country’s economy.

Reports from China indicate that the average life expectancy has reached 78.2 years, its per capita disposable annual income has risen to 35,100 yuan (about $4,938) from 16,500 yuan, and more than 13 million urban jobs have been created each year on average over the past 10 years.

On the level of education, the report presented by the Chinese President adds that the country has made historic strides in making education universally available, bringing 1.04 billion people under the coverage of basic old-age insurance, and ensuring basic medical insurance for 95 percent of the population.

More than 42 million housing units in run-down urban areas and more than 24 million dilapidated rural houses have been rebuilt, marking a significant improvement in housing conditions in both urban and rural areas, the report reads in part.

Also drastically increased is the number of internet users in the country which has reached a record high of 1.03 billion.

President Xi also stressed tasks and targets in China's ambitious modernization drive, such as building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people's democracy, implementing the employment-first strategy as well as exercising law-based governance on all fronts.

"The next five years will be crucial for getting our efforts to build a modern socialist country in all respects off to a good start," Xi said.

China has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, Xi told the 2,340 delegates and special delegates at attendance representing over 96 million CPC members.

He called on the Party, which he said has always remained the "backbone" of the nation, to always stay alert and bear in mind that self-reform is "a journey to which there is no end."

China stands firmly against all forms of hegemonism and power politics, the Cold War mentality, interference in other countries' internal affairs, and double standards, Xi added, "No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansionism," he said.