Rick Blangiardi and his wife, Karen Chang, enjoy specialty drinks in Fuzhou. [Photo by Qiu Yuwen for chinadaily.com.cn]

On Friday, the delegation visited the Fujian Cuisine Museum, where they drank Fuzhou's famed jasmine tea.

"It was delicious...I can see why it's considered world-class," Blangiardi said.

He added that Hawaii, with its rich volcanic soil and excellent air quality, also grows jasmine and could potentially contribute to meeting global demand for jasmine tea — a shared agricultural bridge between the two regions.

The mayor, who signed Honolulu's sister-city agreement with Fuzhou over five years ago, highlighted the importance of people-to-people exchange, especially among the young.