Xi Jinping to embark on 1st overseas trip since pandemic began
Chinese President Xi Jinping will embark on his first overseas trip since the coronavirus pandemic hit the world in late 2019.
Hua Chunying_ the spokesperson for China s Foreign Ministry_ said in a statement on Monday that Xi Jinping will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from Wednesday to Friday.
The SCO summit will be held in Samarkand city of Uzbekistan.
President Xi will also pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at the invitation of presidents of the two Central Asian states_ Hua added.
The overseas visit of Xi will be the focus of international observers as the Chinese president has restricted himself since the pandemic-forced border closures in early 2020.
He paid a train trip to Hong Kong this June on the 25th anniversary of the semi-autonomous region's return to China in 1997.
Russia s President Vladimir Putin is also expected to attend the SCO summit. Any meeting between President Xi and Putin will be their first since Russia s war on Ukraine started in February.
A multi-national grouping of eight nations_ including China_ Russia_ Pakistan_ Kazakhstan_ Kyrgyzstan_ Tajikistan_ Uzbekistan_ and India_ the SCO is set to accept Iran as its new member.
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