BEIJING -- China's socialist democracy is the broadest, most genuine, and most effective democracy to safeguard the fundamental interests of the people, Xi Jinping said Wednesday at the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The very purpose of developing socialist democracy is to give full expression to the will of the people, protect their rights and interests, spark their creativity, and provide systemic and institutional guarantees to ensure the people run the country, Xi said.

"We should not just mechanically copy the political systems of other countries," he said.