BEIJING, Sept. 19 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Friday night after visits to central and south Asia countries.

President Xi paid state visits to Tajikistan, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India from Sept. 12 to 19. Ahead of the visits, he attended the 14th meeting of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on Sept. 11-12 in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.