President describes progress host city made

Deputy mayor three decades ago, Xi reflects on many improvements

"Thirty-two years ago, I came to Xiamen for work, and I was here to serve as a deputy mayor. That day was my 32nd birthday," President Xi Jinping said at a welcoming banquet at which he greeted foreign dignitaries in the coastal city on Monday evening.

Tall buildings and foreigners were rare there, Xi said as he recalled the scene while addressing the leaders and other guests attending the BRICS Summit and the related dialogue of emerging markets and developing countries.