The closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People on Oct. 24, 2017.

Western countries are trying to push their culture and political values onto others, seducing them into abandoning their own, China's propaganda chief warned on Friday, saying the country must follow its own path.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has overseen a sweeping crackdown against civil society since assuming office five years ago, tightening control over society, media and the internet.

Xi has pledged to promote what the ruling Communist Party refers to as core socialist values, which stress patriotism, Chinese traditional culture, rule of law, harmony and prosperity among others.

Huang Kunming, who was appointed to the post following last month's key party congress at which Xi further cemented his grip on power, wrote in the official People's Daily that there was an intensifying "surge and collision" in the world between different values.

"There are especially some Western countries who use their technological advantages and dominance of discourse that they have accumulated over a long period to peddle so-called 'universal values'," he wrote.