Communist Party leader and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday said the country would focus on re-balancing its economy over the next decade as he gave his final major speech before ceding the party leadership.

Hu delivered the opening speech to a crucial, week-long party congress that would change the Communist leadership for the first
time in a decade, ushering in Vice President Xi Jinping as Hu's successor.

In his report to 2,300 congress delegates at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Hu promised to continue the gradual economic
and political reforms in the world's second-largest economy and most populous country.

He said China had achieved ``new historic successes’’ during his decade as party leader but faced ``unprecedented opportunities
for development as well as risks and challenges unknown before'''.

``We must aim higher and work harder and continue to pursue development in a scientific way, promote social harmony and
improve the people's lives,’’ he said.

China which remains in the ``primary stage of socialism,’’ still needs to pursue ``socialist modernisation’’ as its main task and aim
to double the 2010 per-capita income of urban and rural residents by 2020, Hu said.

It would continue to focus on boosting domestic demand as a key part of its structural adjustment and develop a ``moderately prosperous’’ economy by 2020, Hu said as China seeks to diversify an export-reliant economy.

Hu's ``scientific outlook on development,’’ which underpins a drive for more sustainable and equitable development, would be
the party's guiding ideology ``for a long time,’’ he said.

The party, which has ruled China since 1949, would also continue to be guided by the ideology of his predecessors, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, Hu said.

After the seven-day congress, a new Central Committee was expected to appoint Xi as Hu's successor on Nov. 15.

Hu, 69, Premier Wen Jiabao and other senior figures must step down after the congress under retirement rules linked to age
and tenure.

Vice Premier Li Keqiang was expected to replace Wen and be joined by several rising leaders on the powerful Standing Committee
of the party's Politburo.

The congress, held every five years, was scheduled to approve Hu's report and an amendment to the party's constitution to reflect changes in its guiding ideology.

It opened amid the tightest security since the city hosted the 2008 Olympics with 800,000 security volunteers deployed on Beijing's streets to assist tens of thousands of police, paramilitary officers, Special Forces teams and security guards.