President Xi pays tributes to martyrs ahead of China's National Day

Beijing, Sep 30 (PTI) Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of the ruling Communist Party of China on Friday paid tributes to millions of martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the country's liberation struggle ahead of the National Day on October 1.

Xi and other leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC), including Li Keqiang, the second-in-command, attended a ceremony in Tiananmen Square here to present flower baskets to the fallen national heroes.

On September 30, 1949, the First Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference voted to build the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square to commemorate those who lost their lives fighting for national causes.

Martyrs' Day is observed a day ahead of China's National Day on Saturday.

The formal proclamation of the establishment of the People's Republic of China was made on October 1, 1949, which is celebrated as National Day every year. China will be formally shut down for a week from Saturday to celebrate the National Day holidays.

On Friday, nine huge flower baskets were placed in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes.

Xi and other leaders walked up to the foot of the monument, where he straightened the ribbons on the baskets, before leading other senior officials in a walk around the monument to pay their tributes.

From 1921 to 1949, there were more than 3.7 million martyrs in the revolutionary ranks led by the CPC, state-run Global Times reported.

The other martyrs included nearly 400 party members, who have sacrificed their lives to fight the COVID-19 outbreak and over 1,800 CPC members, who died during the poverty alleviation campaign, the report said.

The martyrs' ceremony was launched by Xi when he took over the party's leadership in 2012.

This year's National Day will be celebrated ahead of the key once-in-a-five-year Congress of the CPC, which will be held on October 16.

During the Congress, Xi, 69, is widely expected to get endorsed for an unprecedented third term or perhaps for life-long tenure in power.

Until now all his predecessors with the exception of party founder Mao Zedong retired after 10-year tenures.

Xi, who was bestowed with the title of “Core Leader”, like Mao is expected to continue in power heading the party, the military and the Presidency. PTI KJV VM AKJ VM