BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping Tuesday underlined China's commitment to opening up wider to the world and promoting joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

The practice of reform and opening-up over the past 40 years has shown that openness brings progress, while seclusion leads to backwardness, Xi said at a gathering to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up.

"China cannot develop itself in isolation from the world, and the world needs China for global prosperity," Xi said.

"Bearing in mind China's internal and international imperatives, we have stayed committed to the fundamental national policy of opening-up, followed a proactive approach to opening up, and entered a new stage of comprehensive, multi-level and wide-ranging opening-up, thus creating a sound international environment and broader development space for China," he said.