The great goal of realizing China's modernization, as stated frequently by the late premier Zhou Enlai, will surely be achieved in the near future, said President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Xi made the remark when addressing a symposium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday that marked the 120th anniversary of the birth of Zhou in 1898.

The course has been charted for socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and a giant vessel of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is riding waves and tides, Xi said.

Zhou, who died in 1976, served as premier for 26 years and became known as one of the major designers of the blueprint for the country's rise.

Zhou, at a young age, wrote of his wish for China's advancement, and today's generation could tell those of a different era that the Chinese nation made progress as it stood up, began a better life and became strong, Xi said.