Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Astana on Monday for a visit that will last until Wednesday to participate in the second China-Central Asia Summit at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym Tokayev. Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi's accompanying delegation includes Cai Qi, director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.This visit aims to strengthen economic and trade relations and build a closer partnership between China and Central Asian countries by advancing the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. Import and export volume between the two sides increased from $43.5 billion in 2013 to $94.8 billion in 2024, while trade volume between them reached nearly $40 billion in the first five months of this year, according to the General Administration of Customs of China.In order to achieve interconnection between them, the two sides have implemented several vital development projects in the field of infrastructure, the most prominent of which is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, which connects Kashgar, China, and Andijan, Uzbekistan, via Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan. The 523-kilometer railway is scheduled to begin construction next July and will continue for six years, noting that it will be the shortest land freight route between China and the Middle East.It is noteworthy that the first China-Central Asia Summit was held in May 2023 in the Chinese city of Xi'an, where the two sides affirmed their commitment to deepening mutual political trust and reciprocal support on issues of core interest to each other.