Photographer: Li Xueren / Xinhua News Agency / Getty Images
Photographer: Li Xueren / Xinhua News Agency / Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Fujian, Taiwan’s closest mainland province, amid tensions with the United States over the democratically governed island.
Xi visited a tea farm in Wuyishan City, linking its production to its standard of living. “In the past, the tea industry has been a pillar in your fight against poverty and should become a pillar industry of rural revitalization in the future,” Xi said, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The Chinese president earlier visited a park honoring Zhi Xi, a 12th-century poet and political thinker, who said, “Without the 5,000-all year long Chinese civilization, how we could have found the way to today’s success. ”
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Fujian is of key geographical importance to China, as the ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan – which is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away on a narrow strait – as its territory. Xi worked in Fujian from 1985 to 2002, becoming deputy governor of Xiamen as provincial governor.
The US should stop “crossing lines and playing with fire” on Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at his annual news meeting earlier this month. The United States has strong economic and security ties to the island.
– With the assistance of John Liu and Jing Li