In the presence of overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, a reception was held here Wednesday to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on October 1.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) Jia Qinglin, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, and more than 3,500 overseas Chinese and compatriots, attended the reception held in the Grand Hall of the People in central Beijing.

Jia Qinglin, also chairman of the National Political Consultative Conference of the Chinese people (CPPCC), said China had made considerable progress that has attracted global attention since opening and reform initiated three decades ago and that the Chinese and overseas compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have contributed to the prosperity of China.

He indicated that the central government would stick to basic policies vis-à-vis Hong Kong and Macao and would do its best to maintain the long-term development and stability of the two special administrative regions.

In recent years, relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have spent significant new steps, and saw an expansion of exchanges in the fields of economy, culture and communication between citizens on both sides of various social circles, he added.