China's Xi arrives in Kyrgyzstan for SCO summit and state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Sunday, where he will attend the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit as part of a tour that will also include state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt, state media reported.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Bishkek on Sunday for the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and a state visit to Kyrgyzstan," Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

Xi is visiting the two countries at the invitation of Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, it said.

Xi's entourage includes his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Cai Qi, one of China's top-ranking officials and director of the Communist Party of China General Office.

In addition to Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif and heads of state of other member countries are also expected to be in the Kyrgyz capital on Monday to attend the two-day SCO summit.

The summit marks 25 years of the regional bloc working to balance Western global influence.

The group brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Putin is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Pezeshkian and Xi, among other leaders, according to Kremlin spokesperson Yuri Ushakov.