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By Mu Chunshan
Xi’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia was scrapped, and even his visit to Pakistan faced complications.
Until a few weeks ago, people around the world were wondering which countries Xi Jinping would visit for his first trip abroad in 2015. There was no doubt that Pakistan would be on the itinerary, but it was also thought likely that Xi would travel to the Middle East to visit Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Since assuming the presidency two years ago, Xi has been to almost every region of the world, even visiting far-away Latin America twice. But he hasn’t yet been to the Middle East, an important region located directly on the planned route for the “One Belt, One Road” strategy. Besides Xi, Premier Li Keqiang also hasn’t stopped in the Middle East, to the regret of many Middle Eastern countries. To remedy the situation, the Middle East was to be included in Xi’s April trip, according to Chinese diplomatic sources.
In the end, when Saudi Arabia and Egypt were not included on Xi’s itinerary, it was a bit unexpected. Apparently the plan for Xi’s trip heavily considered security factors — especially the Yemen crisis, which had an impact on Xi’s travel plans.
Read the full story at The Diplomat