BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has struck a stridently nationalistic tone in his closing address to the annual session of the ceremonial parliament at which term limits on his rule were abolished.

Xi told the nearly 3,000 delegates to the National People's Congress on Tuesday that "not one inch" of Chinese territory would ever be separated from the nation.

He declared that any attempt to separate Taiwan from the Chinese nation was "doomed to failure," despite the self-governing island democracy's de-facto independent status.

He said Chinese are "closer now than at any time in history to realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people."

The congress' most significant achievement was the passage of a constitutional amendment ending term limits on the president and vice president, allowing Xi to rule indefinitely.