President Hu Jintao made stability a cornerstone of future growth at Friday's grand gathering to mark the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"Without stability, nothing could be done, and even the achievements already made could be lost," said Hu, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country has grown exponentially in virtually all facets of society under the Party's leadership.

But the transformations, particularly since China started economic reforms in the late 1970s to reintegrate itself into the global economy, were not without social costs and frustration.

China's changes are unparalleled in scope, which inevitably gave rise to conflicts and problems, Hu said in his address. He added that the movement of social conflicts is the basic force driving social development.

The Party must "maximize harmonious elements and minimize non-harmonious elements" by taking active measures to "properly cope" with the problems it faces, he said.

In May, the CPC opened an unprecedented yearlong training session for tens of thousands of people who head the Party's grassroots committees in townships, villages and communities.

The training aims to "address prominent social problems, safeguard the public's rights and promote social fairness", Xinhua News Agency said.

Its announcement came as the Party's top leadership met three times in the past nine months to discuss social management - the government's ability to govern.

"We are facing long-term, complicated and severe tests in governing the country, in implementing reform and opening-up and in developing the market economy, as well as tests in the external environment," the president said in his speech.

Institutionally, the CPC, now the world's largest political party with more than 80 million members, should strengthen social administration in an innovative way, Hu said.

"We should build a socialist social administration system with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the Party, with responsibility assigned to the government, with the assistance of society and with the participation of the general public.

"We should also make social administration more scientific and ensure peace and happiness for the people as well as social stability and harmony," he said.