On December 18， 2018， China hosted a grand gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the countrys reform and opening up， which has changed the destiny of the Chinese nation while influencing the world. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing， at which the president delivered a speech summarizing Chinas achievements over the past four decades.

During the speech， Xi declared Chinas reform and opening up a great revolution that propelled a quantum leap forward in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. He called the pursuit of reform and opening up and socialism with Chinese characteristics a milestone in realizing the Chinese nations rejuvenation. Over the past 40 years， China has continued improving its peoples well-being. The country has lifted 740 million people out of poverty in just 40 years， reducing the poverty headcount ratio by 94.4 percentage points. The countrys development over the past four decades has effectively served the cause of world peace and development.

Xi noted the leadership of the Communist Party of China （CPC） backing all the work while calling for constant enhancement and improvement of the Partys way of leadership. He called for continuous efforts to deliver on the peoples aspirations for a better life. The practices over the past 40 years have solidified the CPCs founding aspiration and mission as seeking happiness for the Chinese people and striving for rejuvenation of the Chinese nation， which has also been the aim of reform and opening-up endeavors. The president stressed upholding Marxism and advancing theory. The practices over the past 40 years have shown that innovation is the pulse of reform and opening up. Furthermore， continued efforts are requested to ensure development remains the top priority and to enhance Chinas composite national strength.

Xi called for continued efforts to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. As the reform and opening up over the past four decades has shown， the system is of fundamental and overarching significance for the long-term stability and development of all endeavors of the Party and the country. He stressed adhering to a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and finding balance between reform， development and stability.

Xi underlined Chinas commitment to opening up wider to the world and promoting joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity. China cannot develop in isolation from the world， and the world needs China for global prosperity. Xi pointed out that since ancient times， China has seen numerous movements aimed at strengthening the nation through reform， and the Chinese nation has engaged in interactions and cultural exchanges with foreign nations in a confident and broad-minded manner. Such profound historical and cultural heritage is fueling the Chinese nations drive to continue embracing the future through reform and opening up.

During the celebratory event， according to the decision made by the CPC Central Committee and Chinas State Council， 100 Chinese were awarded the medals of reform pioneers and 10 foreigners were honored with China reform friendship medals.