BEIJING, July 2 (INP): The Communist Party of China (CPC) which celebrated its 97th birthday on Sunday, has kept its vigor and vitality as the world's largest democratic party through growing support at the grass-root level. President Xi Jinping said on the occasion that "Our Party was born during domestic turmoil and foreign aggression and has grown after enduring hardships and frustrations, and it becomes stronger by overcoming risks and challenges," he added. The Party has always been ready to protect against potential dangers and risks, he added. The number of CPC members reached 89.56 million by the end of last year, of whom 13.31 million were younger than 30, according the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee. CPC membership increased by 117,000 and Party organizations by 53,000 since 2016. The Party's vigor and vitality have been strengthened, the department said. The growth rate of CPC membership has remained under 1.5 percent since 2013, when the Party implemented a recruitment rule that focuses on the quality of members. Starting this year, China has launched a massive institutional reform touching on a wide range of Party and State entities to enhance the Party's leadership and long-term governance. In the report delivered at the CPC's 19th National Congress in October, Xi said that the primary task of the Party's political buildup is to ensure that the whole Party obeys the Central Committee and upholds its authority and centralized, unified leadership. "We must work harder to uphold the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Central Committee, and closely follow the Central Committee in terms of our thinking, political orientation and actions," Xi said in the report. The Party's 19th National Congress enshrined Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the CPC Constitution. In March, Xi Jinping Thought was added into the country's Constitution at the 13th NPC session as a guiding principle of the State. A week after the CPC's 19th National Congress, Xi took leading officials to the Party's birthplaces in Shanghai and Zhejiang province, a "roots-tracing" trip to remind the CPC leaders and members of the Party's original aspirations. The Party's leadership over every area is key for China to achieve its goals in the new era, Xi said. To enhance the political building of the Party and keep the Party clean, Xi launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign, investigating more than 440 senior officials who held provincial-level positions or above, among others. Overall, more than 1.5 million officials have been punished. "If we had not offended hundreds of corrupt officials, we would have offended 1.3 billion Chinese people," Xi said in a speech to the top anti-graft watchdog. INP/J/AJ