President Xi Jinping hailed China's rise as a global power and demanded unity around his leadership on Sunday, launching a Communist Party Congress that is set to rubber stamp his bid to rule for a historic third term.

In an opening address to 2,300 delegates gathered at the Great Hall of the People, Xi promoted and defended a range of signature policies -- including zero-Covid and his anti-corruption drive that has taken down rivals in the party.

"Unity is strength, and victory requires unity," Xi said after walking onstage to a thunderous reception from the hand-picked attendees who will vote during the week-long Congress on the party leadership for the next five years.

The president -- whose 10-year rule has seen the country become a global superpower -- said "China's international influence, appeal and power to shape the world has significantly increased".

During his 100-minute "work report" on the past five years, Xi also focused on two of China's most sensitive security and sovereignty issues in relation to Hong Kong, after democracy protests were crushed there, and on the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

He lauded Hong Kong's transition from "chaos to governance", while his vow to "never commit to abandoning the use of force" on the self-ruled island of Taiwan drew rapturous applause.

- Zero-Covid -

Xi celebrated the party's continued efforts to eradicate Covid -- which are placing heavy curbs on people's lives and is hammering the nation's economy -- as a major achievement.

He insisted the approach had "protected people's safety and health to the highest degree".

He also highlighted as a success his graft crackdown, which has seen thousands of people jailed and critics have said has been used to crush dissent and opposition to his rule.

Xi said the anti-corruption campaign had eliminated "serious latent dangers" within the Communist Party, the military and the state.

"The fight against corruption has won an overwhelming victory and has been comprehensively consolidated," he said.

In a speech that mostly focused on domestic issues, Xi also told the delegates that China would "actively participate in global governance on climate change".

Xi also reiterated that China opposed a "Cold War mentality" in international diplomacy, but made no mention of frayed relations with the United States.

Xi also did not reference the Ukraine war.

- Stability -

There were no policy announcements in the address, which was largely a review of the current state of play, and analysts said Xi wanted to project stability.

"This is a very turbulent time with the Covid crisis, economic downturn and tense international situation, especially with the US," said Alfred L. Chan, a Xi biographer and professor based in Canada.

"Caution, rather than dramatic change, is more prudent."

Should everything go to plan for Xi, the 69-year-old will be endorsed as the party's general secretary after the week-long meeting ends, cementing his position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Xi and the party's other top brass are likely to be unveiled on October 23, the day after the Congress closes.

If picked as party leader for another five-year term as expected, he is almost certain to be elected president at the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress in March.

In the highly choreographed, mostly closed-door conclave this week, the delegates will pick members of the party's roughly 200-member Central Committee, which in turn selects the 25-person Politburo and its all-powerful Standing Committee -- the country's highest leadership body.

- Heavy security -

A heavy police presence was in place around Beijing early Sunday as authorities prepared for the Congress.

Participants navigated a string of security checks before entering the hall, where a giant hammer-and-sickle emblem hung over the stage on which top leaders are due to be seated.

"Long live the great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party," blared one of the bright red banners adorning the hall.

In the background, authorities were working to extinguish any form of public dissent.

In the lead-up to the Congress, China's internet censors removed virtually all references to reports of a rare protest in Beijing that involved banners denouncing Xi and the country's Covid policies.

Video footage and photos shared on social media on Thursday appeared to show a protester draping two hand-painted banners on the side of a bridge with slogans criticising the Communist Party's policies.

Key moments from Xi's address to China's Communist Party Congress
Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2022 - President Xi Jinping kicked off China's five-yearly Communist Party Congress on Sunday with a wide-ranging speech defending Beijing's zero-Covid approach, hailing its anti-graft efforts and reasserting its ambition to absorb Taiwan by force if necessary.

The speech gave Xi an opportunity to tout his government's achievements to the conclave's roughly 2,300 delegates, ahead of being handed an expected third term in power at the end of the week.

AFP gives a rundown of key takeaways from Xi's opening address:

- 'Critical moment' -

Xi took the stage at Beijing's Great Hall of the People to thunderous applause, beginning his speech by hailing the Communist Party's rule and noting that the gathering came at a crucial time.

"The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a very important congress convened at a critical moment," Xi said.

- Putting 'lives first' -

After weathering months of criticism over the effects of his country's strict zero-Covid policy, Xi said China had put "the people and their lives first" when dealing with the pandemic.

He said China had "protected people's safety and health to the highest degree and achieved significant positive results in coordinating epidemic prevention and control with social and economic development".

Xi gave no sign that the rigid policy -- which has forced millions into lockdowns over just handfuls of cases as the rest of the world learns to live with the virus -- would relent anytime soon.

- Hong Kong and Taiwan -

China's increasing assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait, as well as its moves to snuff out dissent in Hong Kong following pro-democracy protests in 2019, have drawn pointed critiques from Western governments.

But Xi on Sunday hailed the end of what he described as the "chaos" in Hong Kong, while condemning "external forces" interfering in self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

"The situation in Hong Kong has achieved a major transition from chaos to governance," he said, going on to pledge a "major struggle against separatism and interference" in Taiwan.

He later added that "the Taiwan issue... must be resolved by Chinese people alone".

"We... will never commit to abandoning the use of force, and reserve the option to take all necessary measures," Xi said in remarks greeted by thunderous applause.

- Anti-graft drive -

Xi told delegates that his long-running crackdown on corruption had put an end to "serious latent dangers" within the Communist Party, military and the state.

"The fight against corruption has won an overwhelming victory and has been comprehensively consolidated, eliminating serious latent dangers within the party, the state and the military," he said, referencing a campaign critics say has been used to curb internal dissent.

- Climate fight -

The Chinese president also vowed that Beijing was committed to the global fight against climate change.

China will "actively participate in global governance on climate change", Xi told delegates, committing to carbon emissions reduction while promising to "strengthen the clean and efficient use of coal".

Despite vowing to reduce coal use from 2026 as part of a broad set of climate promises, Beijing has stepped up spending on the fossil fuel in the face of extreme weather, a domestic energy crunch and rising global fuel prices -- raising concerns its policies may hinder the fight against climate change.

- 'Cold War mentality' -

Xi said Beijing opposed a "Cold War mentality" in international diplomacy, but made no mention of frayed relations with the United States.

"China... resolutely opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, opposes the Cold War mentality, opposes interfering in other countries' domestic politics, opposes double standards," he said, claiming Beijing "will never seek hegemony and will never engage in expansion".

- Things left unsaid -

While the Chinese leader's speech referenced the fraught international climate, he notably made no mention of Russia's invasion of Ukraine or the major ripple effects the conflict has had on the global economy.

He also made no reference to the situation in China's western region of Xinjiang, where Beijing stands accused of widespread human rights abuses and detaining over a million Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in re-education camps.

Nor did his speech touch on the unprecedented crisis in China's real estate sector, where cash-strapped, debt-laden developers have seen sales plummet and confidence dashed in the housing market.

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It's Xi's party at China's historic 20th Congress
Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2022
Rapturous applause greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping as he took the stage Sunday at the start of a carefully choreographed Communist Party Congress expected to confirm him as the country's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Around 2,300 delegates gathered in Beijing's imposing Great Hall of the People, bedecked in the party's signature red and gold with banners bearing slogans hailing the "great, glorious and correct Chinese Communist Party". Xi's opening speech came after a minute's sile ... read more