On the morning of Oct 18, Xi Jinping, standing behind a lectern in the Great Hall of the People, delivered a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The 32,000-character report, the most significant of its kind in recent decades, drew more than 70 rounds of applause from delegates.

In the report, Xi said socialism with Chinese characteristics had crossed the threshold into a new era.

"This is a new historic juncture in China's development," he stated.