Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign delegates attending the 21st Century Council Beijing Conference

Xinhuanet November 2 (by Correspondent Qian Tong)Chinese President Xi Jinping met with foreign delegates attending the 21^st Century Council Beijing Conference on November 2, and expounded China's path of development, reform and opening up, economic situation and foreign policy.

According to President Xi, this conference themed on "Understanding China" would be conducive to enhancing mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world. The Chinese people are working hard to achieve "the Two Centenary Goals" and the Chinese dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation, which is connected to the pursuit of a better life of the Chinese people as well as to the wish of peace and development of people of all countries. To realize the Chinese dream, we must unswervingly pursue socialism with Chinese characteristics, a path to success that the Chinese people found through long-term arduous trailblazing.

According to Xi, China has made remarkable achievements in development, but it is still the world's largest developing country, and will be in the primary stage of socialism for a long term. For China, the burdens are heavy and the road is rough and long. It is still our top priority to develop and improve people's livelihood.

President Xi said that China’s economy was making steady progress, with a GDP growth of 7.6% in the first half and 7.8% in the third quarter. China is changing the development mode, structuring the economic pattern, and accelerating the new-type industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization. There are ample endogenous factors to support China's economic development. We have confidence in the fact that China’s economy will maintain sustained and healthy development. China will not fall into the so-called “middle-income trap".

"China will unswervingly adhere to reform and opening up. The better the country develops, the more open it will be. China will never shut its door to the outside world, for reform and opening up are an ongoing cause, and will never stop. In a few days, we will convene the Third Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee, at which a comprehensive program of reform will be put forward for overall deployment of deepening reform in an all-round way."

He also reiterated that China would adhere to peaceful development, and will never seek hegemony as some other powers did. With its development, China will be in a position to assume more international responsibilities, getting more engaged in international affairs and in the reform of the international system. China is a constructive force to promote world peace and development. We will be as humble and inclusive as always, learning from other countries for advanced theories and development practices and seeking co-development in harmony with other countries.

The speakers included Ernesto Zedillo, former Mexican President and Chairman of the 21st Century Council; Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman of the Berggruen Institute on Governance; Gordon Brown, former British PM, Paul Keating, former Australian PM, and Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. They admired the great accomplishments of China and the positive role it played in the world, and showed confidence in constant growth of the Chinese economy. China's development is conducive to world, and China will contribute more to world peace and prosperity. They paid close attention to the upcoming Third Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee and wished China's reform and opening to achieve greater success.

China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi was present at the meeting.

(Uploaded on November 6, 2013)