Xi, who’s making his first overseas journey for the reason that starting of the pandemic, is attending a gathering this week of the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation within the Uzbek metropolis of Samarkand.
Nevertheless, he was absent from group images revealed late on Thursday when the leaders, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan, went for dinner.
An Uzbek authorities supply confirmed Xi’s absence and mentioned the Chinese language delegation cited its Covid-19 coverage as the rationale.
In Beijing, the Chinese language overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Xi, 69, is ready to safe a historic third management time period at a Communist Get together congress that can start subsequent month.