Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

Xi’s Arrival in Kazakhstan Signals New Phase of Diplomacy

The Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper featured a letter by Chinese President Xi Jinping who will arrive on Wednesday for a one-day visit. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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 Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that will take place at the end of the week in neighboring Uzbekistan.

Experienced China Watchers are not surprised that the President chose these two countries as his first places to visit, given the high priority that Beijing assigns to countries along its periphery. Also, Central Asia provided the ideal venue for President Xi to meet in person with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin which many observers believed wouldn’t have been politically feasible anywhere else.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

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.