A study session on the gist of Xi Jinping's speeches to welcome the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), attended by officials at the provincial/ministerial level, was held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech. He stressed that on the journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and achieve the Second Centenary Goal, the whole Party must hold high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow the guidance of Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and to the needs of our times, remain confident in the path, theory, system and culture of Chinese socialism, and stay committed to driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation.

Focusing on the Party's central task in the new era on the new journey, we should put forward new ideas, strategies and measures to advance the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy in a coordinated manner. Through vigorous and determined endeavor, we should work together and strive to write a new chapter in building a modern socialist country in all respects, Xi noted.

Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, and Han Zheng, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Wang Qishan, attended the opening ceremony of the study session.

Xi stressed that the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress is a conference of great significance, as it will be held at this crucial moment when we embark on the new journey to build China into a modern socialist nation in all respects. At the congress, we will lay out goals, tasks, and major policies for developing the cause of the Party and the country in the next five years or even longer periods to come, which are pivotal to the further development of the Party and the country's cause, the future of Chinese socialism, and the realization of national rejuvenation. Clearly identifying the banner our Party will hold, the path it will take, the goal it will continue to strive for, and to what extent it is motivated on the new journey ahead is of great significance to uniting and encouraging Chinese people of all ethnic groups to strive for a new success for Chinese socialism.

Xi noted that to plan and advance the work of the Party and the country, we must thoroughly review the international and domestic situations to have a clear understanding of the strategic opportunities, risks and challenges we face. At present, profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly across the world, exhibiting more distinctive features of our world, our times, and the historic change we are facing. China faces new strategic opportunities and new strategic tasks, enters a new strategic stage, and is confronted with new strategic demands and strategic environment for its development. The risks and challenges we are to face and the problems we are to address are more complex than ever before. The whole Party must be more mindful of potential dangers, be always prepared for worst-case scenarios and have a strong will and greater capability to respond to even harder situation. We must formulate right strategies to respond to changes, foster opportunities, and make breakthroughs, and rely on tenacious struggle to open up new horizons for our cause. The most essential is to manage our own affairs well, Xi said.

Xi said that the five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been unusual and extraordinary. The CPC Central Committee has kept in mind the overall picture for national rejuvenation and major changes in the world unseen in a century, united and led the whole Party, the armed forces and the people of all ethnic groups in effectively coping with the grave and complex international situation and a series of risks and challenges, and pushed forward socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era in an energetic manner.

We have continued to strengthen the Party's overall leadership and the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. We have worked with full strength to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, boosted high-quality development and taken swift yet steady steps in advancing reforms. We have promoted the whole-process people's democracy, developed advanced socialist culture and improved public well-being. We have pooled our efforts in eradicating absolute poverty and spurred ecological conservation. We have defended national security, maintained overall social stability, advanced the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, safeguarded peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and carried out major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts.

We celebrated the centenary of the founding of the CPC and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and carried out a campaign to encourage the study of the Party's history among Party members. In particular, in the face of the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, we have put the people and their lives first and launched an all-out people's war to curb the epidemic. We have protected people's lives and health to the maximum extent and achieved the best performance in the world in coordinating economic development and epidemic response. We have enforced the central government's overall jurisdiction over the special administrative regions in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Laws, and formulated and implemented the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, securing a firm grip on the overall situation of Hong Kong.

Facing the rapid changes in international situation, we have worked hard to safeguard our national dignity and core interests, keeping in hand the initiative in our country's development and security. We have made further efforts to exercise full and rigorous governance over the Party, worked ceaselessly to improve Party conduct and enforce Party discipline, and made coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not have the opportunity, desire or audacity to engage in corruption. As a result, the Party's ties with the people have become closer, and a healthy political atmosphere has been fostered and developed within the Party, providing strong political underpinnings for the development of the cause of the Party and the country, Xi said.

Xi noted that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. Over the past decade, we have upheld Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, fully implemented the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the Party's basic theory, line and policy. We have taken a host of strategic approaches, carried out a series of transformative moves and made many breakthroughs and remarkable progress. We have also solved many tough problems that remained unsolved for a long time, accomplished many things of vital importance and long-term significance, and withstood the test brought about by risks and challenges from political, economic, ideological, and natural domains. We have scored historic achievements and historic shifts in the cause of the Party and the country. Such great changes in the first decade of the new era are of landmark significance in the history of the Party, the People's Republic of China, reform and opening up, and the development of socialism and the Chinese nation, Xi said.

Xi stressed that achieving national rejuvenation will be no walk in the park, and it will take more than drum beating and gong clanging to get there. We must undertake a great struggle with many new contemporary features and be prepared to work even harder toward this goal. Over the p