At the invitation of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President Xi Jinping will attend the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana from June 16 to 18, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.
The first China-Central Asia Summit was held in Xi'an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi in northwest China, in May 2023. It concluded with the Xi'an Declaration, saying that a mechanism for meetings among the heads of state of China and Central Asian countries has been officially established.
The declaration stated that the summit is held every two years alternately in China on the one side, and in one of the Central Asian countries in alphabetical order on the other side.
Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana
Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana
Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana
Xi to attend 2nd China-Central Asia Summit in Astana
At least 89 people were killed and about 200 others injured over the past two days in escalating clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria's Sweida province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Syrian defense authority, in a statement carried by the state-run SANA news agency, put the death toll at more than 30 and the injuries at some 100.
Attributing the escalating clashes to a breakdown of institutional control, the Syrian defense authority stated that specialized military units had been deployed to separate the warring factions and secure evacuation routes for civilians. The defense authority urged restraint, warned that continued fighting would only deepen civilian suffering, and affirmed its commitment to restoring stability through coordinated operations with interior forces.
Footage shared by China Global Television Network (CGTN) showed armed fighters clashing late Monday in Sweida, with fierce exchanges of fire between the conflicting parties.
The root of the conflict lies in an earlier incident where a young Druze man was assaulted and robbed by armed Bedouins at a temporary checkpoint near al-Masmiyah. In retaliation, local Druze fighters detained several Bedouin members, escalating the situation.
89 killed in escalating Druze-Bedouin clashes in Syria's Sweida: war monitor
