Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Central Asian leaders at a summit in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, his second trip to the region in under a year as Beijing competes with Russia for influence there.

The summit in the Kazakh capital brings together Xi -- who arrived in Astana on Monday -- and the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Under Russia's orbit until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the five countries of Central Asia have courted interest from major powers including China and the United States since becoming independent.

The region is rich in natural resources and strategically located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

While Central Asian leaders continue to view Russia as a strategic partner, ties with Moscow have loosened since the war in Ukraine.

The five nations are taking advantage of the growing interest in their region and coordinating their foreign policies.

They regularly hold summits with China and Russia to present the region as a unified bloc and attract investment.

The "5 1" format high-level talks have also been organised with the European Union, the United States, Turkey and........

© International Business Times