Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison as part of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Xi Jinping will visit Kazakhstan next week for a state visit, Interfax reported, in what would be the Chinese president’s first trip overseas in more than two and a half years.
Xi accepted the Kazakh president’s invitation to visit the central Asian nation on Sept. 14, the Russian news agency reported, citing Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov. The two leaders will sign a variety of agreements during the visit, it added.
China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The trip would mark a return to the world stage for Xi, the only Group of 20 leader who still hasn’t traveled abroad throughout the pandemic. While Xi made a brief visit to Hong Kong in July, he hasn’t set foot outside Chinese territory since January 2020.
