BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao called for the people's congress to play a stronger role in China at the grand rally marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress (NPC), Wednesday.

Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, delivered a speech at the rally presided over by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

Hu said that history proves that blindly following western political systems will lead to a dead end for China. China's current people's congress system has strong vitality and great superiority.

The president described the people's congress system as a great invention of integrating the basic principles of Marxism with the actual conditions of China. The setup is a natural choice of China's social development since modern times, and an important achievement in the long-term struggle of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The people's congress system also represents "the common interests and aspirations" of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups," said Hu.

"History indicates that indiscriminately copying western political systems is a blind alley for China," Hu stressed.

Reviewing the half-century history of the people's congress system and looking into the future, he said China must stick to and improve the system.

Hu said that a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics centered on the Constitution has taken shape in China, which greatly promoted and safeguarded the country's reform,opening up and modernization drive.

"We have expanded general election of deputies to people's congresses to the county level with the introduction of multi-candidate election system," Hu said, adding that a great importance has been attached to the building of socialist democratic politics and to improving the building of the people's congress system and the work of people's congresses.

The system guarantees people's right as the master of the country and safeguards the harmonious and effective operation of the state organs, Hu said.

"The 50-year practice has fully proved that the people's congress system, as the fundamental political system, fits China'sspecial conditions by embodying China's socialist characteristics and representing Chinese people's right as the master of the country," said Hu.

Hu also called for the regulation of the relationship between Party committees and people's congresses, and to support people's congresses to function according to law. People's congresses at all levels must follow the Party's leadership. But the Party should realize its leadership by drafting guiding policies, forwarding law-making proposals and recommending candidates of major government posts.

"To adhere to the Party's leadership, we must improve the leadership and conscientiously improve the Party's competence of leadership and ruling capacity," Hu said.

He stressed that the Party must act within the scope of the Constitution and laws, and know how to use state powers to handle state affairs.

"The legislative work of the NPC and its Standing Committee should be further improved," he said, stressing the quality of legislation.

He also underscored the enhancement of the NPC's supervisory role, saying "exercising power without restriction or supervision is bound to result in power abuse and corruption."

"People's congresses and their standing committees at all levels should focus their supervision on major issues concerning the fundamental interests of the people," he urged.

"We should value the experience in the development of the people's congress system over the last 50 years, stick to the pathof political development with Chinese characteristics and firmly push forward the socialist democratic politics by adhering to China's national conditions and new realities," he said.

He promised to actively and steadily boost political reform, expand socialist democracy, improve the socialist legal system and build a country where the law rules.