BEIJING - Tuo Zhen, spokesman for the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, briefing the media on the upcoming congress. Here are highlights of Tuo's remarks at the press conference.

2,280 delegates will attend Congress

A total of 2,280 delegates from all walks of life will attend the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which starts on Wednesday.

The Party elected 2,287 delegates before the Congress, but seven of them did not pass the final review by the delegate credential committee. "The qualification of the 2,280 delegates is effective," Tuo said.

The qualified delegates are from various sectors, including the economy, education, health and justice, and are from all levels of society. For example, 33.8 percent of the delegates come from grassroots departments, 3.3-percentage points higher than the figure of the last Congress, according to Tuo.

China will stick to opening up

China will stick to the opening-up policy and further expand market access to foreign investors, Tuo said.

Tuo said opening up is a basic State policy.

He cited President Xi Jinping, saying that China will not make changes to the basic policy, and will not make changes to the commitments to provide better services to foreign investors.

The State Council, the cabinet, released documents in January and August, and local governments have introduced measures to attract more foreign capital, according to Tuo.

He said there will be renewed efforts to attract foreign investors in the future as the opening up and reform continues.

"The goal is to see a win-win result and common development," he said. 

China will never deviate from the course of reform

China has set a clear direction for advancing reform and "will never deviate from this course", Tuo said.

"Reform is an ongoing process, and there is never an end (in the pursuit of the reform)," Tuo said.

China is firm in taking reform forward and will not slow its pace, he added.

Tuo said it will facilitate strategic deployment for reform and development during the coming five years, and beyond, allow for the planning and advancement of reform at a higher starting point and will unswervingly carry reform forward to the end.

Tuo noted that the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform was established and headed by Xi Jinping, general secretary of CPC Central Committee.

Xi has made plans for and guided the reform, and has chaired 38 meetings of the Leading Group, Tuo said.

A range of symbolic, guiding key measures for reform was introduced and enacted, and the overall framework for reform has been basically established, Tuo added.

'Cutting debt does not mean cutting growth'

Tuo Zhen said that reducing debt and stabilizing economic growth are not contradictory policies.

"In the long run, deleveraging will help remove hidden risks that will affect steady and healthy economic development and strengthen medium- and long-term economic resilience," Tuo said.

China has created a good and steady macroeconomic environment for deleveraging and economic growth by holding onto the fundamental principle of making progress while maintaining stability, continuing to implement active fiscal policy and prudential monetary policy, sticking to supply-side structural reforms and moderately expanding total demands, he said.

"We insisted on taking multiple measures to deleverage to ensure that deleveraging will not make a negative impact on economic growth," Tuo said.

"At the current stage, deleveraging has made initial progress without bringing obvious austerity effects on the economy," he added.

Party will design reforms to fit the nation's needs

The Communist Party of China has achieved a great deal during its efforts to reform the nation's political structure and will continue with the work, based upon China's own conditions, rather than by copying others' models, Tuo said.

He said the reform of the nation's political structure has remained a key topic on the Party's agenda since China adopted its reform and opening-up policy nearly 40 years ago.

"The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee meted out roadmaps for the ongoing comprehensive reforms, including 60 tasks for political structure reform," Tuo said.

The Fourth Plenary Session published 190 measures to boost the rule of law, and the Sixth Plenary Session arranged for new efforts to be made to improve the management of Party members, Tuo told reporters. 

China maintains commitment to combat poverty in rural areas

China is confident that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee it will win the battle against poverty, Tuo said.

"Whether we can build a moderately prosperous society, the key lies in the rural population," he said. "It depends on if the poor population living in the rural areas can be lifted out of poverty."

To lift all of the rural population living in poverty by the current standard by 2020 is a solid commitment made by the Party, and is a hard target that has to be achieved, Tuo added.

"We will emphasize real efforts, real progress and real results in poverty alleviation," said Tuo. "To ensure the impact of poverty alleviation work will truly win the recognition of the people and stand the test of history."

President Xi Jinping has made it a key aim that no one should be left behind in building the moderately prosperous society in all respects, he added.