President Xi Jinping is on an eight-day visit to Serbia, Poland and Uzbekistan from Friday, during which he will also attend the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent on June 23 and 24.

High hopes have been placed on his visits to the three countries, each of which plays a significant role in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and in their respective neighborhoods. Poland and Serbia are gateways to Central and Eastern Europe, and Uzbekistan is at the heart of Central Asia, where a railway connecting China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan is under construction.

The three countries' geopolitical importance has increased in the face of rising regional tensions. For one, the security risks following Crimea's inclusion into Russia and alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis remain high and have gradually spilled over into neighboring states, including Poland.