China’s Xi in Kazakhstan to Cement Central Asia Ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met on the sidelines of the China-Central Asia Summit in Astana on June 16, 2025. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet 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 the Kazakh capital brings together Xi — who arrived in Astana on Monday — and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

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