Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese president, attends the CPC and World Political Parties Summit and delivers a keynote speech in Beijing, July 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

-- Political parties need to set the right course forward and shoulder their historical responsibility to ensure the people's wellbeing and pursue the progress of mankind, Xi said.

-- In the face of the pandemic, political parties must oppose the practice of politicizing the pandemic or attaching a geographical label to the virus, Xi said.

-- Xi urged political parties to jointly oppose the practice of seeking technology blockade and divide as well as decoupling.

-- "The judgement on whether a country is democratic or not should be made by their people, not by a handful of others," Xi said.

-- "China will never seek hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence," Xi said.

BEIJING, July 6  -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged political parties in the world to shoulder their responsibility for the pursuit of people's wellbeing and progress of mankind.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, called on political parties to strengthen cooperation to tackle global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, inequality, terrorism, and climate change.

Addressing the CPC and World Political Parties Summit via video link in Beijing, Xi took swipes at practices of seeking technology blockade and decoupling, politicizing the pandemic, "political manipulation for the purpose of sabotaging the development of other countries," and practices of "seeking hegemony by way of group politics."

The cloud summit, which gathered leaders of more than 500 political parties and organizations from over 160 countries, was convened as human society has "once again found itself at a historical crossroads" that leads to either hostile confrontation or mutual respect, seclusiveness and decoupling or openness and cooperation, zero-sum game or win-win results.

"The choice is in our hands and the responsibility falls on our shoulders," Xi told party leaders.