China President Xi Jinping signed a treaty to elevate ties with Central Asian nations on Tuesday, as Beijing looks to further deepen cooperation on trade, energy and infrastructure with the resource-rich region.

Xi emphasized that building on the collective efforts over the years, the nations have forged a China-Central Asia Spirit of "mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual assistance for the joint pursuit of modernization through high-quality development".

On Monday, Xi was greeted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other senior officials at the airport in Astana. The Astana summit follows the inaugural May 2023 China–Central Asia Summit, which was held in Xi’an, the capital city of China’s Shaanxi province.