Shanghai will appoint delegates to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at its ninth Party congress in 10 days, Party chief Xi Jinping said.

He called on people from all walks of life to work for unity and stability and maintain Shanghai's economic growth.

The congress will be held on May 24, the eighth Shanghai municipal committee decided at its 12th session over the weekend.

The congress will appoint its delegates to the CPC National Congress, set to open in Beijing in the second half of this year, Xi said. He did not say how many delegates would be appointed.

A total of 2,220 delegates will be elected by 38 electoral units across the country, 100 more than the 16th congress four years ago. Most units have completed their preliminary nominations of candidates.

Delegates to the Shanghai congress will also elect the ninth Shanghai Municipal Committee as well as the Shanghai Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The Shanghai Party congress will be a landmark gathering, coming at a critical stage of Shanghai's reform and modernization drive, said Xi, 53, who was appointed Shanghai Party chief following a corruption scandal involving his predecessor Chen Liangyu.

"It will have important and far-reaching effects on Shanghai's economic, political, cultural and social development as well as its Party building," he told the weekend session.

"We'll recruit prominent young and middle-aged officials as members of the Shanghai municipal committee and discipline inspection commission," he said.

"And we'll express our thanks to the outgoing members for their hard work and positive contributions to Shanghai's development."

Source: China Daily