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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Business

China’s Xi Jinping meets Central Asian leaders: Why their summit matters

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at an international airport outside Astana, Kazakhstan, on Monday, June 16, 2025 [Kazakhstan's Presidential Press Office via AP]

Chinese President Xi Jinping reached Kazakhstan on Monday to attend the second China–Central Asia Summit, a high-stakes diplomatic gathering aimed at deepening Beijing’s economic and strategic ties with the region.

The summit, which will be held on Tuesday in the Kazakh capital Astana, comes at a time when China is intensifying its outreach to Central Asian countries amid shifting global power alignments — and mounting tensions in neighbouring Iran, which is roiled in an escalating conflict with Israel.

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