President Xi Jinping on Wednesday started his first foreign trip abroad since the outbreak of the pandemic with a stop in Kazakhstan ahead of a summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other leaders of a Central Asian security group.

Xi’s trip underlines the importance Beijing places on ties with Russia and Central Asia as the Communist Party promotes its strategic ambitions amid tension with Washington, Japan and India.

In a statement upon arrival at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in Kazakhstan, Xi hailed the strong ties between the two countries.

"China and Kazakhstan are good neighbours, good friends and good partners connected by mountains and rivers and standing together through thick and thin. Over the past three decades since the establishment of diplomatic relations, our two countries have enjoyed mutual respect, good-neighbourliness, mutual support and cooperation for mutual benefit," the president said.

"The bilateral relationship has grown by leaps and bounds, and reached the high level of a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership. Our two countries have consolidated political mutual trust, conducted fruitful Belt and Road cooperation, and engaged in close and efficient coordination on international affairs, to the benefit of our two peoples."

Xi arrived in Uzbekistan on Wednesday evening on the next leg of his tour.

He will attend a summit of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a two-decade-old group led by China and Russia, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Beijing and Moscow see the SCO as a counterweight to US alliances in East Asia.

Other SCO governments include India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Observers include Iran and Afghanistan.

Xi and Putin plan to hold a one-on-one meeting and discuss Ukraine, according to the Russian president’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov. (Xinhua/AP)
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Last updated: 2022-09-14 HKT 22:28