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,

On Monday, Xi was greeted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other senior officials at the airport in Astana. The Astana summit follows the inaugural May 2023 China–Central Asia Summit, which was held in Xi’an, the capital city of China’s Shaanxi province.