President Xi Jinping said the Communist Party of China (CPC) is willing to protect people's life and health at all costs, as it always puts people's interests first reports CGTN.

China's biggest political event of the year, the National People's Congress, opened Friday with an announcement that broke with decades of tradition: there would be no economic growth target this year. It was a sign of how seriously the coronavirus has impacted the economy.

In the face of a major epidemic, the CPC has, from the very beginning, stated clearly that people's life and health should be put as the top priority, he said.

Xi said the CPC puts people's interests in the first place under all circumstances, without any particular interests of its own.

When handling the COVID-19 epidemic, Xi said the Party made clear that people's safety and health always come first.

"Life is of paramount importance. This is a price we must pay, at any cost."

He stressed that the CPC should take a people-centered approach in coordinating epidemic control and socioeconomic development, and must rely on and mobilize Chinese people in regular epidemic control and economic recovery.

The Party should endeavor to improve people's livelihood, he went on to say.

The Party's fundamental goal is for the Chinese people to live a better life, and it should endeavor to address people's concerns such as employment, education, health care, housing, pension and food security, he said.