CHINESE President Xi Jinping called today for his country to play a bigger role in managing global affairs.

He spoke after Beijing scored a major diplomatic coup as the host of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran that produced a landmark agreement to reopen diplomatic relations.

In a keynote speech to the National People’s Congress, Mr Xi called for changes to the International Monetary Fund and other entities that fail to reflect the desires of developing countries.

The Chinese president said that Beijing should “actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system” and promote “global security initiatives.”

That will add “positive energy to world peace and development,” Mr Xi argued.

He also called for faster technological development and more self-reliance.

Before the Communist Party took power in 1949, Mr Xi said, China was “reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country, subject to bullying by foreign countries.”

“We have finally washed away the national humiliation and Chinese people are the master of their own destiny,” he declared. “The Chinese nation has stood up, become rich and is becoming strong.”

He also recommitted the country to “unswervingly” strive for the goal of “national reunification” with the breakaway island of Taiwan.

On Friday, Mr Xi was elected for a third term as China’s president , having been re-elected Communist Party general secretary last October.

The National People’s Congress elected a new prime minister and filled other government positions on Sunday.

New PM Li Qiang, who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the economy, echoed commitments given in recent years to support the development of the private sector.

He vowed that China would “treat enterprises of all types of ownership equally” and “support the development and growth of private enterprises.”

“Our leading cadres at all levels must sincerely care about and serve private enterprises,” Mr Li insisted.

He also pledged that Beijing would make job creation a priority in its efforts to boost economic growth.

The premier expressed confidence that the Chinese economy could continue to flourish.

He said that some 15 million people would enter the workforce every year, giving China “abundant human resources.”

In particular, China is gaining a “talent dividend” as better-educated young people joined the workforce, Mr Li noted, adding that the number of such workers was “still China’s outstanding advantage.”