Xi hails CPC's 105-year 'epic', urges building modern socialist China

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping on Wednesday hailed the 105-year history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) as the "most magnificent epic" of the Chinese nation and urged the Party to press ahead to build China into a modern socialist country on schedule.

Addressing a gathering marking the CPC's 105th founding anniversary in Beijing, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on Party members to remain steadfast in their convictions and work tirelessly to fulfill the Party's missions in the new era and on the new journey.

Founded in 1921 against the backdrop of a weak China plagued by foreign humiliation and poverty, the CPC has grown from a small group of just over 50 members into the world's largest governing party with tremendous global influence.

Xi underscored the importance of meeting the goal of fully realizing socialist modernization by the middle of the century.

"Time stops for no one, and neither does history," he said.