Non-negotiable : China's unity

President Xi Jinping has warned that any attempt to split China is 'doomed to fail'

The president's speech was a strong warning against any attempt at separatism from places like Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Mr Xi went on to say that "achieving total unity" was the "collective hope of all Chinese people" and that any attempts to divide the country were "doomed to fail."

Painting China as the rising global power, Mr Xi also warned that the country could not be complacent about its development.

He said China would further open up its economy and "ensure that both domestic and foreign firms" were "able to compete on fair terms in China's large market."

Mr Xi is now considered the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China.