BEIJING - President Xi Jinping, when reviewing the achievements made by the Chinese people over the last year, said time is the most objective witness.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a speech to a festival reception in Beijing Wednesday, extending Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese people.

Praising the achievements in developing the economy, deepening reform, advancing law-based governance, improving people's lives and fighting poverty, as well as the progress in national defense and armed forces construction, diplomacy on all fronts, and full and strict governance over the CPC, Xi said these progresses have "propelled the vessel of China toward new waters."

Xi said these achievements were made by the Chinese people with their own hands and generations of continuous hard work, expressing "highest respect" to the "old generations of heroes, model workers, soldiers and comrades" who had made contributions to China's national independence, development and prosperity.

Noting that the year of 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up policy, Xi said over the last 40 years, China has taken the great leap from "catching up with the times" to "leading the times."

Xi said the 19th CPC National Congress held last year outlined the direction for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and charted the new journey toward the goal of building a modern socialist China.

Facing a complicated international environment and the arduous missions of reform, development and stability in 2018, Xi called on the whole Party, military and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to rally closely around the CPC Central Committee, and work to turn the set guidelines, strategies and arrangements into reality with concrete and down-to-earth efforts.