Xi’s Diplomatic Tour Strengthens Ties Across Central Asia

Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on September 3 after a five-day diplomatic tour that combined participation in the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek with state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt. Over the course of the trip, Xi participated in more than 20 events, signing landmark treaties and deepening strategic partnerships with two key regional partners, according to Xinhua News.

SCO Summit Marks 25 Years of Regional Cooperation

The centerpiece of the tour was the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, held on September 1 at the Rys Ordo Congress Hall in Bishkek. The summit marked the 25th anniversary of the organization’s founding, which has grown from six founding members to 27 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa—representing nearly half the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.

In his address, Xi delivered a four-point proposal calling on member states to stay committed to putting development first, taking security as a key goal, maintaining a people-centered approach, and pursuing dialogue and consultation. The leaders adopted the Bishkek Declaration on the 25th Anniversary of the SCO, approved amendments to the SCO Charter, and adopted 28 outcome documents covering security, economic cooperation, and institutional development.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who briefed reporters on the visit’s outcomes, emphasized the significance of the summit’s achievements. “Over 25 years, the SCO has weathered storms and never stopped moving forward,” Wang said. “The strategic blueprint drawn up at the Tianjin summit is gradually becoming a reality, with the organization’s structure becoming more optimized, its operations more efficient, and its cooperation more effective.”

Djoomart Otorbaev, former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, told the Global Times that “SCO member states experience different political and economic systems, yet what they decided within the organization is to put away differences and focus on similarities.” He summarized SCO cooperation in three words: “connectivity, pragmatism and cooperation.”

On the sidelines of the summit, Xi held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, underscoring China’s broader engagement with regional partners.

Landmark Treaty Solidifies China-Kyrgyzstan Friendship

During the state visit to Kyrgyzstan, Xi and President Sadyr Japarov signed the Treaty on Permanent Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation—described by Wang Yi as the “most significant political outcome” of the Kyrgyzstan leg of the visit. The two leaders also signed a Joint Declaration on the High-Quality Development of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a New Era.

China Daily reported that Xi said the treaty “will provide an important legal foundation for friendship between the two countries from generation to generation and for their continued mutual support.” Japarov called China “our good neighbor, close friend and time-tested, reliable partner,” adding that the treaty would “open up broader prospects for bilateral relations.”

Liu Xinlu, dean of the School of Arabic Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times that “the weight of the treaty lies precisely in the word ‘permanent,’ as it reflects a kind of strategic mutual trust that transcends short-term interests and is designed to withstand the test of time.”

The two sides exchanged more than 30 cooperation documents covering investment, transportation, customs, science and technology, education, and culture. Both leaders also emphasized the high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, a flagship infrastructure project that Xi described as a “major transportation artery” carrying the development aspirations of people across the region, as reported by The Diplomatic Insight.

The visit coincided with Kyrgyzstan’s 35th Independence Day celebrations. Xi did not attend the World Nomad Games opening ceremony on August 31 due to a deadly mudslide disaster in Gyirong County, Tibet, which claimed lives on both sides of the China-Nepal border.

China-Egypt Relations Enter New Era on 70th Anniversary

Xi’s state visit to Egypt—his first since 2016—coincided with the 70th anniversary of China-Egypt diplomatic relations. Egypt was the first Arab and African country to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1956, and the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014.

The two leaders issued a Joint Statement on Further Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and signed more than 30 cooperation documents spanning Belt and Road projects, artificial intelligence, economic and trade cooperation, and supply chain collaboration. They also agreed to launch the third phase of the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone and expand local currency swap arrangements, according to the Egyptian Gazette.

Beyond economic cooperation, Xi and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi placed significant emphasis on cultural and civilizational exchange. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, toured the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza alongside Sisi and First Lady Entissar, a visit that Xinhua highlighted as a landmark moment in the two nations’ long history of cultural dialogue.

“China and Egypt are both ancient civilizations and major world heritage countries,” Xi said during the museum visit. “The two great civilizations have been persistently moving toward each other across time and space.” He called on both nations to “jointly promote the inclusive coexistence and mutual learning of different civilizations, gathering more civilizational strength for building a community with a shared future for mankind.”

Xi also proposed a four-point initiative on building a new security architecture in the Middle East during his talks with Sisi, addressing the region’s ongoing conflicts and calling for dialogue and consultation to resolve disputes. Former Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf told the Global Times that “the region has experienced decades of conflict, and we have seen repeatedly that military solutions alone cannot bring lasting peace,” adding that “sustainable peace needs development, and sustainable development needs peace.”

Strategic Significance and Forward Look

Wang Yi characterized the tour as a demonstration of China’s commitment to multilateralism and global governance reform. “Facing the accelerating evolution of major changes unseen in a century and the turbulent international situation, President Xi Jinping embarked on this journey to Central Asia and the Middle East,” Wang said. “With solidarity and cooperation as the main theme, the visit focused on building a community with a shared future and upholding fairness and justice.”

The diplomatic tour reflects China’s broader strategy of deepening engagement with the Global South and expanding its influence across Eurasia and the Middle East. As Wikipedia notes, the trip came amid growing geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts, positioning China as a counterweight to traditional Western-led alliances.

Looking ahead, the implementation of the treaties and cooperation agreements signed during the visit will be closely watched. Pakistan is set to assume the SCO’s rotating presidency for 2026-2027, while China and Egypt have committed to further expanding their partnership across economic, security, and cultural domains. The visit’s emphasis on civilization exchange and mutual learning signals China’s intent to deepen its soft-power engagement alongside its growing economic and strategic footprint in the region.