Chinese President warns of 'serious' threats to Communist Party's long-standing rule

China's President harangued top Communist Party officials on Monday about the challenges facing the country, including the "serious" threats that existed to the party's long-standing rule.

Xi Jinping made the remarks on Monday, in an unscheduled seminar with China's top provincial leaders and ministers.

According to Xi, and as reported by Bloomberg, the party needed to overcome long-term and complex challenges impacting on its long-term rule, the ongoing process of reform and opening-up, developing a market-driven economy and as regarded the external environment.

"It entails an energetic and tenacious spirit of struggle to guard against and defuse major risks," he said, according to the state-owned news agency, Xinhua.

Xi reportedly also called on leading party officials to "dare to take on responsibilities and struggle".

Monday's meeting was not announced in advance by state media and it was the first such gathering for which the entire 200-strong Central Committee of China's Communist Party was not convened.

Some observers highlighted that it took place both against a backdrop of slowing growth as well as ahead of key historical dates which might act as triggers for criticism of the government, including the 70th anniversary of the country's founding on 1 October and the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown on 4 June.