Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed on Sunday that high-quality development is the first and foremost task in building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while attending a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Jiangsu Province at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

Efforts should be made to fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, and better coordinate the effective upgrade in quality with the appropriate expansion in quantity in economic development, Xi said.

The country must unswervingly deepen reform and opening-up and transform the development model to accelerate the formation of sustainable institutions and mechanisms for high-quality development, said Xi.

China's development must serve to continuously strengthen the people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security, Xi said.