Xi Focus: Xi confers highest state honors on individuals ahead of National Day

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, communicates with Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the honoree of the Friendship Medal, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 29, 2019. Xi on Sunday presented national medals and honorary titles of the People's Republic of China at a ceremony in the Great Hall of the People and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)