Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan before summit with Putin

Chinese language president’s journey underlines the significance Beijing locations on asserting its position as a regional chief amid pressure with the US, Japan and India.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping has began his first overseas journey for the reason that outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic greater than two years in the past with a cease in Kazakhstan, prematurely of a summit in Uzbekistan together with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and different leaders of a Central Asian safety group.

Xi was met on Wednesday on the airport tarmac in Nur-Sultan by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and an honour guard.

His journey underlined the significance China has positioned on asserting its position as a regional chief amid tensions with the USA, Japan and India within the face of disputes about expertise, safety, human rights and territory.

Tokayev’s authorities mentioned the 2 leaders would talk about vitality and commerce. Kazakhstan is a big oil and fuel producer that counts China as a number one buyer.

On Thursday, Xi is because of fly to Samarkand in neighbouring Uzbekistan for a summit of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO).

China and Russia see the bloc as a counterweight to US alliances in East Asia. Xi and Putin plan to carry a one-on-one assembly on the sidelines of the summit and talk about the conflict in Ukraine, in line with the Russian president’s overseas coverage adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Different SCO governments embrace India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Observers embrace Iran and Afghanistan.

Xi is selling a “International Safety Initiative”, which was introduced in April with few particulars following the formation of the Quad by the US, Japan, Australia and India in response to Beijing’s extra assertive overseas coverage.

Kazakhstan is a part of China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Highway Initiative to broaden commerce by constructing ports, railways and different infrastructure throughout an arc of dozens of nations – from the South Pacific by Asia to the Center East, Europe and Africa.

The initiative and China’s financial inroads into Central Asia have created unease in Russia, which sees the area as its sphere of affect. Kazakhstan and its neighbours try to draw Chinese language funding with out upsetting Moscow.

“This go to is extraordinarily vital,” mentioned Deputy Minister of International Affairs Roman Vassilenko this week earlier than Xi’s arrival. “We definitely hope that it’ll advance political and financial and business relations with China.”

Andy Mok, a senior analysis fellow on the Centre for China and Globalisation, advised Al Jazeera that Kazakhstan “is vitally vital” to China, with the 2 international locations having fun with “deep, structural and historic” ties.

Pope Francis was additionally in Kazakhstan similtaneously Xi, however there was no indication they could meet. On board his flight, the pope was requested a couple of doable assembly and replied, “I don’t have any information about this. However I’m at all times able to go to China.”

Xi’s journey — at a time when his authorities is urging the Chinese language public to keep away from overseas journey beneath its “zero-COVID” technique — underlined the significance to the governing Communist Celebration of asserting China’s strategic ambitions.

The summit has taken Xi overseas whereas the occasion prepares for an October congress at which he’s anticipated to interrupt with political custom and attempt to award himself a 3rd five-year time period as chief.