Photographer: Li Xueren / Xinhua News Agency / Getty Images
Photographer: Li Xueren / Xinhua News Agency / Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Fujian, the closest mainland province to Taiwan, amid tensions with the U.S. over the democratically governed island.
Xi toured a tea farm in Wuyishan City, linking its production to his campaign to raise the standard of living. “In the past, the tea industry was a pillar in your fight against poverty and should become a rural revitalization industry in the future,” Xi said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The President of China previously visited a park honoring Zhi Xi, a 12th-century poet and political thinker, saying, “Without the 5,000-all year round Chinese civilization, how could we have found the way to achieve today’s success.
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Fujian is of key geographical importance to China because the ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan (which is about 130 kilometers away through a narrow strait) as its territory. Xi worked in Fujian from 1985 to 2002, going from deputy mayor of Xiamen to provincial governor.
The United States should stop “crossing the lines and playing with fire” in Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at his annual briefing earlier this month. The US has strong economic and security ties to the island.
– With the assistance of John Liu and Jing Li