Hu Jintao said Thursday that China will unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development and firmly pursue an independent foreign policy of peace.

"China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit and strive to uphold world peace and promote common development," Hu said in a keynote report at the opening of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

China calls for promoting equality, mutual trust, inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutually beneficial cooperation in international relations and making joint efforts to uphold international fairness and justice, he said.

Hu said China is firm in its resolve to uphold China's sovereignty, security and development interests and will never yield to any outside pressure.

China will decide its position and policy on an issue on its own merits and work to uphold fairness and justice, he said.

"China is committed to peaceful settlement of international disputes and hotspot issues, opposes the wanton use of force or threat to use it, opposes any foreign attempt to subvert the legitimate government of any other countries, and opposes terrorism in all its manifestations," Hu told more than 2,200 delegates in the Great Hall of the People.

China opposes hegemonism and power politics in all their forms and will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion, he said.

Hu said peace and development remain the underlying trends of the times. But there are signs of increasing hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism, and local turmoil keeps cropping up.

Global issues such as food security, energy and resource security and cyber security are becoming more acute, he said.

China will unwaveringly follow a win-win strategy of opening up and promote robust, sustainable and balanced growth of the global economy through increased cooperation.

China will improve and grow relations with developed countries and strive to establish a new type of relations of long-term stability and sound growth with other major countries, Hu said.

The country will continue to promote friendship and partnership with its neighbors and ensure that China's development will bring more benefits to them, he said.

China will also increase unity and cooperation with other developing countries, work with them to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and support efforts to increase their representation and voice in international affairs, he said.