ALMATY -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to arrive in Kazakhstan for a state visit on Wednesday, his first known trip abroad since COVID-19 exploded in January 2020.

The choice of Kazakhstan has symbolic importance -- this is where Xi launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, in the early days of his presidency. His visit appears aimed at signaling a return to "business as usual" after the pandemic disruptions, and at helping to cement Beijing's influence in the region.