Delegates of the Communist Party of China (CPC) gathered in central Beijing Monday morning to attend the year's most important political event that will chart a roadmap for the country's all-round development in the coming five years.

The 17th National Congress of the CPC is set to elect the Party 's 17th Central Committee that will decide CPC's new leadership lineup for the coming few years, and elect a new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

It will also approve a draft amendment to the Party Constitution to embody the scientific outlook on development and other new achievements in the Party's theoretical innovation and progress in practice.

Banners hanging in the grand conference hall of the Great Hall of the People bear catchphrases of CPC's recent theoretical developments, ranging from "socialism with Chinese characteristics ", "Deng Xiaoping theory", "Three Represents" to "scientific outlook on development" and "moderately prosperous society".

The Scientific Outlook on Development, initiated by the 16th CPC Central Committee in 2003, is part of the theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics that stands alongside Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, said Hu Jintao in a report delivered on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee.

Altogether 2,237 delegates from across the country attended the opening, which is being covered live by China's televisions, radios and websites.

"Nowadays the delegates are more keen on issues concerning the ordinary people's lives such as employment rate and medical care," said CPC delegate Xie Shijie, 73, who was also delegate to the previous three Party Congresses. "In the past we always talked about GDP and investment."

According to Hu's report, China will continue to power the engine of economic growth by quadrupling the per capita value of gross domestic production (GDP) of the year 2000 by 2020.

But the rapid growth will be under the condition of reduced consumption of resources and greater efforts in environment protection, according to the report released to the press earlier on Monday.

Hu also underlined endeavors by the past three generations of central collective leadership in founding and prospering the New China, citing the miraculous growth of China's economy from "once on the verge of collapse" to the fourth largest in the world.

"The Chinese people, once inadequately fed and clad, are leading a fairly comfortable life on the whole," he said, vowing to carry on the cause of his predecessors.

A preparatory meeting on Sunday appointed Zeng Qinghong, 68, as secretary-general of the congress.

Four senior Party leaders were selected by the 237-member Presidium as deputy secretaries-general, namely Liu Yunshan, Zhou Yongkang, He Guoqiang and Wang Gang.

The congress will last for seven days till Sunday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)