China | Travelin’ man

Xi Jinping will at last venture abroad again

Why is Central Asia his destination?

Xi Jinping, China's president, speaks at a swearing-in ceremony for Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee in Hong Kong, China, on Friday, July 1, 2022. Hong Kongs new security-minded leader was sworn in by President Xi Jinping as the city marks 25 years of Chinese rule, after declaring the Asian financial hub had been reborn after a crackdown on the pro-democracy opposition. Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By the time President Xi Jinping arrives in Central Asia this month, it will have been nearly a thousand days since he last left China. In the interim, much has changed—just look at his previous destination. In January 2020 Mr Xi visited Myanmar, where he signed some deals and shook hands with Aung San Suu Kyi, then Myanmar’s de facto leader. Today Ms Suu Kyi sits in jail, the victim of a coup carried out by the country’s generals.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Travelin’ man”

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