Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 17 signed a treaty to further elevate China’s ties with the five countries of Central Asia. At a summit held in the Kazakh capital of Astana, Xi made it plain that Beijing is keen to further expand and deepen cooperation across areas including trade,

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping met Central Asian leaders at a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, his second trip to the region in under a year as Beijing competes with Russia for influence there.The summit in Astana brings together Xi -- who arrived in the Kazakh capital on Monday -- and the leaders of Kazakhstan,

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Kazakhstan for talks with Central Asian leaders, providing a counterpoint to a Group of Seven summit by visiting a vast region at the nexus of competing interests from Washington to Beijing.