* Xi said that Hainan will become a paradigm of reform and opening-up in the new era.
* Xi said seed resources must be "firmly held in our own hands" to ensure food security.
* Efforts should be made to unswervingly safeguard national security, identify and guard against major risks, and coordinate reform, development and stability, Xi said.
HAIKOU, April 13 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerating the development of Hainan into a free trade port with Chinese characteristics and global influence.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his inspection tour of south China's Hainan Province from Sunday to Wednesday.
He demanded deeper reform and opening-up across the board, continued innovation-driven development, coordination between COVID-19 response and economic and social development, as well as a balance between development and security.
Xi said that Hainan will become a paradigm of reform and opening-up in the new era.
Xi went to the cities of Sanya, Wuzhishan and Danzhou.
While visiting a seed laboratory in Sanya on Sunday, Xi said seed resources must be "firmly held in our own hands" to ensure food security.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a seed laboratory to learn about seed industry innovation in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
He stressed achieving self-reliance in seed technology and ensuring that China's seed resources are self-supporting and under better control.
Xi then travelled to a research institute of the Ocean University of China to learn about the development in marine science and technology.
Via video link, Xi talked to the staff working on the Deep Sea No.1, the country's self-operated deep-water gas field, and extended greetings to them.
Calling for more ground-breaking sci-tech innovation, Xi said China must strive to exploit petroleum and natural gas resources with its own equipment to ensure the country's energy security.
During Sunday's inspection, Xi stopped by an evergreen tree which he planted 12 years ago and tended to it. He told local officials to make ecological conservation an important task.
On Monday, Xi went to an international duty-free shopping mall in Sanya to inspect the offshore duty-free policies. He stressed leveraging the advantages of China's huge market size, fostering a favorable market environment with the rule of law, and attracting customers with trusted business operations and quality services
Inspecting a tropical rainforest national park in Wuzhishan, Xi highlighted the importance of tropical rainforest preservation, and the synchronized progress of ecological conservation, green development and people's well-being.
In the village of Maona, Xi visited the home of a family of the ethnic Li people, checking their courtyard, living room and bedrooms. At a tea-making workshop, Xi took part in frying tea leaves and bought two packets of tea.
