President leads event honoring martyrs on eve of National Day

China's top leadership hosted events on Wednesday to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China, including a ceremony commemorating the country's martyrs and a grand reception at the Great Hall of the People.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, led a tribute to national heroes on Wednesday morning at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tian'anmen Square.

The event, which took place one day before National Day, was held to mark Martyrs' Day.

The ceremony started at 10 am with all participants singing the national anthem, and then a silent tribute was held for heroes who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the Chinese people and the development of New China.

After nine flower baskets were laid in front of the monument by honor guards, Xi straightened the red ribbons on the baskets and led a group of senior officials in a walk around the monument to pay tribute to the fallen.

They were joined later by representatives from various sectors of society, including individuals honored for their contributions to the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic, veterans, retired officials and relatives of deceased heroes.

The president also was present at the reception held by the State Council on Wednesday evening in celebration of National Day, which was attended by close to 500 Chinese and foreign dignitaries.

In remarks delivered at the reception, Premier Li Keqiang recalled an "extraordinary" year in the history of the People's Republic of China.

The country, faced with the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and severe shock from the global recession, has taken the people's safety and health as the top priority as always and made every effort in the fight against the virus, he said.

China has stabilized its economic fundamentals and attained a growing economic recovery under immense pressure, with further remarkable progress achieved in poverty alleviation and with people's livelihoods guaranteed, the premier said.

"The Chinese economy has shown strong resilience in growth, and the prospect for socialism with Chinese characteristics is broad," he said.

Li highlighted the need to continue with normalized epidemic containment measures and to adopt multipronged steps to help market players survive their difficulties and restore their vitality while fostering new growth engines and establishing a new development pattern.

He reaffirmed the importance of the government doing its utmost to create jobs and bring tangible benefits to the public in areas including schooling, healthcare, aged care and day care for infants.

China will continue with unwavering efforts to deepen reform, further stimulate market vitality and social creativity and develop a business environment that is in line with market principles, the rule of law and international standards, he said.

Li also pledged to adopt sound measures in ensuring the living standards of people whose lives have been affected by the pandemic and summer floods and to secure victory in the fight against poverty.