BEIJING - President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing Saturday afternoon after a state visit to Kazakhstan and the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Xi arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. During his stay in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, he also attended the opening ceremony of Expo 2017.

Xi's entourage included Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.