BEIJING -- Chinese leaders attended a grand gathering in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival and extend festival greetings to the Chinese people.

Chinese President Hu Jintao chaired the grand gathering of 4,000 people from various sections of society in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday. [Xinhua]

Chinese President Hu Jintao chaired the gathering of 4,000 people from various sections of society.

On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, Hu, who is general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed festival greetings to all Chinese people and his thanks to the friends of China in the world.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech.

The premier said China had made great achievements over the past year. "Looking into the new year, we are fully confident in the country's future development," he said.

Wen said China would fully implement the scientific concept of development, speed up the building of a harmonious socialist society and strive to maintain satisfactory and fast development of the national economy to create favorable condition and environment for the 17th National Congress of the CPC.

Wen pledged to continue to boost economic development, deepen reform and opening-up and listen to the people.

"To solve the problems in people's daily lives, we must persevere with making economic development our central task," Wen said.

Wen said China must adhere to scientific, harmonious and peaceful development and "greatly increase social wealth to lay a solid material foundation" for the improvement of people's lives.

Wen also highlighted China's reform of the socialist market economy, saying that China must continue to push forward economic, political, cultural and social reforms to protect people's democratic rights and legitimate interests, and safeguard social justice.

The Premier urged the Party and the government to further improve their working styles and remain closely connected with the people.

Wen said the Party and the government must "understand people's concerns, listen to their opinions, care about their difficulties" and take concrete measures to address issues concerning the immediate interests of the people, including education, health care, employment, income distribution and social security.

Wu Bangguo, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Wu Guanzheng, Li Changchun and Luo Gan, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the gathering.

Other participants included leaders of various departments of the central authorities, leading officials of the capital city, representatives of retired senior cadres, leaders of non-Communist parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, people without party affiliations, representatives of ethnic minorities, domestic and foreign experts and scholars, as well as representatives of various circles in the capital city.

The gathering was jointly held by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Spring Festival, the Chinese Lunar New Year's Day, falls on February 18 this year.