Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said on Wednesday that despite the progress the Party has achieved in the past five years, there are "still many inadequacies in our work and many difficulties and challenges to face."

Xi made the remarks at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress while delivering a work report, entitled "Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."

"China’s ability to innovate needs to be stronger, the real economy awaits improvement, and we have a long way to go in protecting the environment," said Xi.

"In work on public wellbeing, there are still many areas where we fall short; and poverty alleviation remains a formidable task," he noted.

Xi also tackled the persistent income gap and the disparity in development between the country's regions.

"There are still large disparities in development between rural and urban areas, between regions, and in income distribution; and our people face many difficulties in employment, education, healthcare, housing, and elderly care," Xi added.