Hu Jintao said Thursday that China has achieved "new historic successes" over the past decade and the achievements have laid a solid foundation for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Hu said China has seen continuous economic development, steady improvement in democracy, and increasing cultural prosperity and social stability over the past decade, and the Party has worked hard to ensure and improve the people's wellbeing and brought them more benefits than ever before.

"All this is widely recognized," Hu said in a keynote report at the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

China's economy has risen from the sixth to the second place in the world over the past ten years.

Hu said China's productive forces and economic, scientific and technological strength have increased considerably. The people's living standards, individual income and social security have improved significantly, and its overall national strength and international competitiveness and influence have been enhanced substantially.

He said during these ten years, China has seized and made the most of the important period of strategic opportunities for the country's development, successfully met major challenges and brought socialism with Chinese characteristics to a new stage of development.

These historic successes are attributable to the correct guidance of the Party's basic theory, line, program and experience, Hu said.

The successes have been achieved on the firm foundation laid since the founding of New China in 1949 and particularly since the adoption of the policy of reform and opening up in 1978, and they are the fruit of the united efforts of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in China, he said.

He said over the period China overcame a number of difficulties such as the unexpected outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the global financial crisis, the massive Wenchuan earthquake and other natural disasters.

"Bracing ourselves against complex domestic and international developments, our Party and people have withstood severe tests, consolidated and developed the cause of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, and raised China's international standing," he said.

"All this shows the superiority and vitality of socialism with Chinese characteristics and has enhanced the pride and cohesiveness of the Chinese people and nation," Hu said.

Hu also reviewed the past five years since the 17th CPC National Congress, saying that significant progress has been made in economic growth, people's living standards, reform and opening-up, legal system, national defense, social development, diplomacy and Party building.

He also cautioned that there is still much room for improvement in the work and there are a lot of difficulties and problems on the road ahead, which include unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development, weak agricultural infrastructure, systemic barriers, increasing social problems, bureaucracy and corruption.

"We must take these difficulties and problems very seriously and work harder to resolve them," Hu said.