“On the basis of ensuring the people’s position as masters of the country, we will expand socialist democracy,” Hu said in his address to the national congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) which began here on Monday.

The seven-day conclave of CPC, held once in five years, is being attended by 2,213 delegates who will elect a new leadership to rule China till 2012.

In his two-and-half hour long address, Hu, the general secretary of the CPC, stressed that the party’s role as the core of leadership in directing the overall situation and coordinating the efforts of all quarters “must be upheld”.
“The essence and core of socialist democracy are that the people are masters of the country,” he said.
“We need to improve institutions for democracy, diversify its forms and expand its channels,” the Chinese President said.

Vowing to press ahead with economic reforms, President Hu said it was the only way to develop socialism with “Chinese characteristics” and pledged to deepen “political restructuring” as well as balance urban and rural development.

“To stop or reverse reform and opening up would only lead to a blind alley,” the 64-year old party boss said.
He also reassured the world that it will never seek hegemony or “expansion” but vowed to modernise its armed forces, the world’s largest, without engaging in arms race or posing a military threat to others.

“China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development,” the President Hu.
Pointing out that China cannot develop in isolation from the rest of the world, nor can the world enjoy prosperity and stability without China, Hu said: “China will never seek benefits for itself at the expense of other countries or shift its troubles onto others.”