No relaxation of COVID measures for China, says President Xi

China must not relax COVID control and prevention measures, President Xi Jinping said during a visit to the southern island of Hainan on Wednesday, state radio reported.

His comments came as China's commercial capital, Shanghai, reported more than 25,000 new cases. It is under huge pressure to contain China's biggest COVID outbreak since the coronavirus was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Xi said China must continue with its strict "dynamic COVID clearance" policy, while striving to minimize the impact of COVID measures on the economy and society, state radio reported.