BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Civil Code of China came into force on Friday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has stressed the significance of the Civil Code.

   The following are some highlights from his quotes:

   -- The Civil Code is the first law with the term "code" in the title since New China was founded.

   -- The promulgation and implementation of the Civil Code realized a long-expected wish of several generations.

   -- The Civil Code holds an important position in the Chinese socialist system of laws.

   -- The Civil Code systematically integrates the civil legal norms formed through long-term practices during more than 70 years of New China, drawing upon the Chinese nation's fine legal culture going back more than 5,000 years, and mankind's beneficial achievements in building a law-based civilization.

   -- The Civil Code embodies the equal protection of rights in various areas including safeguarding life and health, property safety, convenient transactions, people's happiness and dignity.