Array
Chinese President and head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping is expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a visit the neighbouring Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this month, in what would be his first overseas visits since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019.
Xi, 69, has participated in global gatherings by video link, but his physical absence and those of other top Chinese leaders has thrown a shadow over Beijing’s global political and economic ambitions.
Xi has only left mainland China to make a one-day visit to the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong on July 1 to speak at a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese rule.
Xi has overseen a sweeping crackdown on civil rights in the city since pro-democracy protests in 2019, with opposition voices either imprisoned, forced into exile or intimidated into silence.
According to Russian media, Xi will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan where he will meet with Putin.
The two last met in Beijing in January in Beijing, just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
On that occasion, they issued a joint statement declaring their relationship had no limits.
Beijing has since refused to criticise Russian aggression or even describe it as an invasion, while condemning sanctions against Moscow and blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking the conflict.
A brief look at the issues surrounding Xi’s visit:
WHAT ARE THE STAKES FOR XI GOING ABROAD?
Xi is at a crucial inflection point in his political career as he seeks and is fully expected to receive a third five-year term as Communist Party leader.
That’s a break with precedent that has limited members of the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee to two terms in an effort to prevent a return of the one-man dictatorial rule of the founder of the People’s Republic, Mao Zedong.
