Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

Central Asian Leaders Arrive in Northwestern China For First-Ever Summit With Xi Jinping

by Eric Olander
Chinese Premier Li Qiang (R) receives Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 17, 2023. GREG BAKER / POOL / AFP

Final preparations are underway in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi’an for a high-profile two-day Central Asian summit that gets underway on Thursday hosted by President Xi Jinping and his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.

The gathering, known as the C+C5 Summit, will serve as an important milestone in China’s increasingly close ties with Central Asian countries as it’s the first-ever leaders summit since Beijing established diplomatic ties with these countries more than 30 years ago.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

You Might Like

Central Asian Leaders Arrive for China Summit That Could Erode Russian Influence

The leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan have arrived in the ancient Silk Road city of Xi’an for one-on-one meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the first in-person China-Central Asia ...

This Week Will Likely Mark the End of Xi Jinping’s 971 Day Absence From International Diplomacy

The last time Xi Jinping traveled abroad was a trip to Myanmar on January 17, 2020. This week, the Chinese president is widely expected to end his nearly three-year absence ...

Xi’s Arrival in Kazakhstan Signals New Phase of Diplomacy

Xi Jinping is back. The Chinese President emerged from nearly three years of diplomatic hibernation on Wednesday when he landed in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan for a one-day visit ahead of the Shanghai ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.