BEIJING, March 15 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, called on world political parties to closely integrate their own development with their national modernization drives, so as to continuously steer the course and marshal strength for modernization.

Xi made the remarks while delivering a keynote speech on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting via video link.

RESPONSIBILITY OF POLITICAL PARTIES

Xi pointed out in his keynote speech that in today's world, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined, and humanity's modernization process has once again reached a crossroads of history.

Political parties, as an important force steering and driving the modernization process, are duty bound to answer such questions as "what kind of modernization do we need and how can we achieve it," he said.

The Chinese president called on political parties to put the people first and ensure modernization is people-centered.

He also called for upholding the principle of independence and exploring diversified paths toward modernization.

"For any country to achieve modernization, it needs to not only follow the general laws governing the process, but more importantly, to consider its own national conditions and unique features," Xi said.

"Modernization does not fall into our laps automatically, it is the result of hard work with strong historical initiative," Xi said, stressing that political parties should closely integrate their own development with their national modernization drives, so as to continuously steer the course and marshal strength for modernization.

CHINESE PATH TO MODERNIZATION

The 20th National Congress of the CPC has proposed advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

Talking about Chinese path to modernization, Xi said that it is rooted in China's national conditions and also draws on the experience of other countries; it delivers benefit to the Chinese people and also advances common development of the world.

The CPC will continue to safeguard international fairness and justice and promote world peace and stability, he said.

In pursuing Chinese modernization, the country will neither tread the path of colonization and plunder, nor the crooked path taken by some countries to seek hegemony once they grow strong, Xi said, noting what China pursues is the right course of peaceful development.

GLOBAL CIVILIZATION INITIATIVE

In his keynote address, Xi proposed the Global Civilization Initiative.

Under the initiative, Xi called for respect for diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, highly valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and jointly advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, also president of the African National Congress, and 11 other leaders of political parties and political organizations also addressed the dialogue. They spoke highly of Xi's proposals in the keynote speech, and expressed their willingness to work with the CPC to play a leading and driving role in the modernization process.

"We fully agree with the four proposals put forward by Chinese President Xi in the Global Civilization Initiative," Ramaphosa said, saying the initiative is vital to the world today.

The event, with the theme "Path toward Modernization: the Responsibility of Political Parties," brought together more than 500 leaders of political parties and political organizations from more than 150 countries.