President Xi Jinping delivered a speech Monday morning at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's national legislature.

Here are the highlights.

Xi says people's trust is biggest motivation for him to forge ahead

President Xi Jinping said Monday that the people's trust is the biggest motivation that drives him to march on and a great responsibility he shoulders.

"I will faithfully fulfil my responsibilities bestowed by the Constitution, with the nation's needs as my mission and the people's interests my yardstick," he said when addressing the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress, the national legislature.

Xi pledged to perform his duty scrupulously, do his utmost, and prove worthy of the trust of all NPC deputies and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.

Xi stresses contributing to building great country, national rejuvenation

He called for due contributions to building a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation.

From this day forward to the mid-21st century, the central task of the entire Communist Party of China and all Chinese people will be to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, said Xi.

"The relay baton of building a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation has been historically passed on to our generation," he said.

Xi stressed accelerating Chinese modernization in accordance with the strategic decisions made at the 20th CPC National Congress.

Xi stresses unswervingly advancing high-quality development

China will unswervingly advance high-quality development on the new journey of building a great modern socialist country and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The country should fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts and accelerate efforts to create a new pattern of development, Xi said.

He called for fully implementing the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the workforce development strategy and the innovation-driven development strategy.

China should work to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, promote industrial transformation and upgrading, advance coordinated urban-rural and regional development, and foster green and low-carbon economic and social development, Xi said.

Efforts should be made to effectively upgrade and appropriately expand the economy, and continuously increase the country's economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities and composite national strength, he said.

It is a must to put the people first on the new journey of building China into a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation. 

Xi said the people are the decisive force in building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.

Xi urged efforts to actively develop whole-process people's democracy, and to uphold the unity of the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance.

He said a people-centered philosophy of development must be implemented so that the gains of modernization will benefit all people fairly, and that more notable and substantive progress will be made in promoting prosperity for all.

Xi also stressed strengthening and expanding the great unity of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and the great unity of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation at home and abroad.

"By doing so, we will mobilize all favorable factors and form a mighty force that will facilitate the building of a great modern socialist country and the advancement of national rejuvenation," Xi said.

"Security is the bedrock of development, while stability is a prerequisite for prosperity," Xi said.

Xi underscored the need to pursue a holistic approach

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP