President Xi Jinping and other Communist Party of China and state leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning attend the opening ceremony of the eighth congress of the China Law Society and extend their congratulations to the congress in Beijing, on March 19, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's legal workers are called on to uphold their firm belief in communism and follow the Party's leadership unswervingly at a meeting attended by President Xi Jinping on Mar 19.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the opening ceremony of the eighth congress of the China Law Society in Beijing.

Legal workers are required to use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as their guide and make efforts to advance the rule of law.

Guo Shengkun, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, greeted the country's legal workers on behalf of the CPC Central Committee.

Since the Party's 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has enhanced its unified leadership over the initiative to build the rule of law in China, Guo said, adding that China has made historic achievements in advancing law-based governance.

According to the decision made at the CPC's 19th National Congress, the rule of law for the country, the government and society will be basically in place in China by 2035.

Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.

Founded in 1949, the China Law Society, with 720,000 individual members and 21,000 group members, is a national association of legal scholars, jurists and law practitioners and an academic body for legal sciences.

During the congress, the law society's members are scheduled to make plans for their work in the next five years and elect a new board.