China's State Council, or Cabinet, holds a grand reception marking the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Wednesday evening. [Photo: Xinhua]

China's State Council, or Cabinet, held a grand reception at the Great Hall of the People Wednesday evening to mark the 60th founding anniversary of the People's Republic.

President Hu Jintao and other Communist Party of China (CPC) and state leaders, including Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, attended the reception with more than 4,000 other people.

Addressing the reception, Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to maintain the sustainability and stability of the country's macro economic policy to achieve steady and rapid economic development and contribute to global economic recovery.

The country would stick to its policy of regional ethnic autonomy in minority areas and ethnic and religious policies to reinforce and develop socialist ethnic relations, with equality, unity, mutual-assistance and harmony, Wen said.

Wen extended festive greetings to people of all ethnic groups in China and cordial greetings to compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and Taiwan and abroad on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Wen also expressed gratitude to foreign friends present and all other international friends who had shown great interest in and rendered their support for China's modernization drive.