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Taiwan
ChinaPolitics

Chinese President Xi visits Taiwan-facing island after PLA drills simulate blockade

Xi Jinping visited Fujian’s Dongshan county, the site of a 1953 cross-strait war, as part of an inspection trip to the province, CCTV says

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Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the crowd during his visit to Dongshan county, Fujian province, on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Xinhua
Yuanyue Dangin Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a coastal island just across the Taiwan Strait a day after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) wrapped up massive military drills around Taiwan.
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Xi inspected Dongshan county in the southeastern province of Fujian on Tuesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The Taiwan-facing island county has served as a regular base for PLA exercises in the past. According to the CCTV report on Wednesday, Xi inspected work on rural revitalisation, inheriting the Communist Party’s revolutionary tradition and protecting cultural heritage.

Xi’s stay in Dongshan was part of his inspection trip to Fujian over Tuesday and Wednesday, CCTV said. He also visited the coastal city of Xiamen.

According to state news agency Xinhua, Xi’s most recent public appearance was on Monday morning, when he paid his final respects to Wu Bangguo, mainland China’s former legislative head who died on October 8.

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Chinese President Xi visits Taiwan-facing island after PLA blockade drills

Chinese President Xi visits Taiwan-facing island after PLA blockade drills

Most domestic inspections by Xi usually feature a stop at a local PLA division. But it is unclear if he had done so or planned to do so on this trip.

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