China President Xi Jinping signed a treaty to elevate ties with Central Asian nations on Tuesday, as Beijing looks to further deepen cooperation on trade, energy and infrastructure with the resource-rich region.

On Monday, Xi was greeted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other senior officials at the airport in Astana. The Astana summit follows the inaugural May 2023 China–Central Asia Summit, which was held in Xi’an, the capital city of China’s Shaanxi province.

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping met Central Asian leaders at a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, his second trip to the region in under a year as Beijing competes with Russia for influence there.The summit in Astana brings together Xi -- who arrived in the Kazakh capital on Monday -- and the leaders of Kazakhstan,