| The itinerary of Xi Jinping’s first trip outside China since the start of the pandemic says a lot about the Chinese leader’s foreign policy priorities as he prepares to consolidate power at home for a third term.
Xi declared a “no limits” friendship with the Russian president in Beijing on the eve of the Winter Olympics, just weeks ahead of the Ukraine invasion. who has not only drawn condemnation from large parts of the world, but now faces unusual dissent inside Russia as well? The SCO summit starts in Uzbekistan on Thursday. The powerful bloc is made up of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India and Pakistan, and Iran is expected to join soon. Kazakhstan, which borders China’s Xinjiang province, is an important security partner as well as a major oil exporter and an important Belt and Road Initiative partner for China.
Another senior Chinese official, Li Zhanghu, visited Vladivostok last week, where he met with Putin and criticised Western sanctions against Russia.
These two are always pushing back