THIS week's China-Central Asia Summit will watch ties between Beijing and five Central Asian countries rise to a new level. Fruitful, comprehensive results are anticipated to be attained in multiple areas — political, economic and everything in between — as participating countries are expected to reach new consensus of cooperation amid new challenges and risks in the region, observers said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will lead the summit, to be held in the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province on May 18 and 19, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying announced on May 8. Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan will attend, she added.