BEIJING -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said Thursday that the Party must continue to adapt Marxism to the Chinese context.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC.

At the fundamental level, the capability of the Party and the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics are attributable to the fact that Marxism works, Xi said.

"We will use Marxism to observe, understand, and steer the trends of our times, and continue to develop the Marxism of contemporary China and in the 21st century," Xi said.