Li Qiang to visit Central Asia and Russia
On.cc · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to start a six-day overseas trip on Saturday, visiting Uzbekistan and Tajikistan before travelling to Russia. The Chinese foreign ministry said the trip will run from October 17 to October 22. In Tajikistan, Li will attend the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member states. He will then hold the 31st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian prime ministers with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Russia.
Key Points
- China’s foreign ministry announced on Thursday that Li Qiang will travel for six consecutive days starting Saturday, October 17.
- At the invitation of Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Li will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan from Saturday to Sunday, October 18.
- Li will then visit Tajikistan from Sunday to Tuesday, October 20, at the invitation of Prime Minister Rasulzoda.
- During the Tajikistan leg, Li will attend the 25th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government, also described as prime ministers.
- From Tuesday to Thursday, October 22, Li will visit Russia to hold the 31st regular China-Russia prime ministers’ meeting with Mishustin.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the trip is a reminder that Beijing is maintaining high-level diplomatic engagement with both Central Asia and Russia through government-to-government channels. The combination of bilateral visits, a multilateral SCO meeting and the China-Russia premiers’ talks shows a tightly scheduled regional diplomacy push over less than a week.