President Xi to expound central Asia policies in visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping will expound China's foreign policy towards Central Asia in a speech he is scheduled to deliver in Kazakhstan. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping on Tuesday told a press briefing that Xi's upcoming Central Asia visit, his first since taking office, is of great importance. Xi will pay state visits to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from Sept. 3 to 13, at the invitation of Turkmenian President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev. The president will hold talks with the fours heads of state, and meet prime ministers and parliamentary leaders. He will also sign some political documents and cooperation deals during the visit, Cheng said. Cheng noted that Central Asian countries are friendly neighbors and important cooperative partners of China. The two sides share political trust, having witnessed significant beneficial cooperation and increased strategic coordination in recent years. He added that China and Central Asia face the same tasks of safeguarding stability and promoting development. Xi will also attend the 13th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, for the first time since taking office, on Sept. 13, at the invitation of Atambaev. During the meeting, leaders will discuss intra-area cooperation and major global and regional issues. The summit will issue a declaration and pass a long-term cooperation outline in the form of a resolution, the vice minister said. President Xi will also attend the eighth Leaders' Summit of the Group of Twenty(G20) in St. Petersburg from Sept. 5 to 6, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong said at the press briefing. The G20 summit on growth and employment will focus on global economic growth and financial stability, employment and investment, development and trade, according to Li. During his stay, Xi will attend an unofficial meeting of leaders of the BRICS grouping Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and meet some heads of state and international organizations, Li said. China will continue to implement responsible economic policy and work together with the international community to promote strong, sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy, said Li.