Beijing - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday called for socioeconomic stability and ethnic unity in a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of founding the People's Republic of China.

Wen praised China's "brilliant achievements" in 60 years of Communist Party rule but warned that the nation faced a "long road" ahead, in a speech to 4,000 leading party members and guests at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

He said the government would further develop "socialist ethnic relations" built on equality and unity, and would continue to pursue rapid but stable economic growth.

"Our road ahead is still very long, and not smooth," Wen said. "We must maintain a style of modesty, caution, humility and patience.

"We must keep a style of endurance and struggle, increase our sense of hardship, maintain vigilance and work strenuously," state media quoted him as saying.

"We will keep the continuity and stability of our macroeconomic policies, improve the targeting of macro controls, and realize economic stability with relatively fast development," Wen said.

President and party leader Hu Jintao is expected to deliver similar messages in his landmark speech during celebrations of the 60th anniversary on Thursday.

Held amid unprecedented security in Beijing, the show is scheduled include China's biggest-ever display of its military hardware in the first major parade by the People's Liberation Army since 1999.

"We now have military satellites, advanced jets, new main battle tanks, sophisticated warships and submarines," Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said last week of the parade.

Fang Fenghui, the director of the military parade, said the army would showcase 52 types of weapons systems, including nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, drones, attack helicopters and early-warning aircraft.

In addition to th military parade, about 180,000 civilians and soldiers were chosen to perform in the city's symbolic heart, Tiananmen Square.

The civilian show has the three key themes of "ideology, achievements and future prospects," state media quoted parade commander Wang Yue as saying.

"Ideology" is to be represented by three mass formations bearing huge portraits and ideological slogans associated with Hu and former party leaders Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, Wu said.

Some of the 60 floats in the civilian parade are designed to highlight China's achievements in such fields as science, industry, trade, agriculture, education and its use of the controversial "one-child" family-planning policy to limit its population to 1.3 billion people. (dpa)