He said that “democracy and human rights” and “China’s path and system” were two of the “red lines” that “must not be challenged”.

Pundits said the message was meant for someone not in the room, US president-elect Donald Trump, who has been assembling a national security team full of China hawks.

“Xi sent a clear message to Donald Trump and his team that Trump must avoid any moves to … push China towards democracy [or] undermine the Communist Party’s grip on power,” said Deng Yuwen, former deputy editor of Study Times, the newspaper of the cadre-training Central Party School.

He said the Chinese leader was warning that Beijing would retaliate if the US touched those areas, while also setting an agenda for the future of Chinese-American relations.