How deep is the security partnership between China and Russia really, beyond the curated images projected by the two propaganda machines? What sources of potential tension are there between Moscow and Beijing, and is the situation in Central Asia following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one of them? Please join Alexander Gabuev, Janka Oertel and Raffaello Pantucci to discuss these issues.

China sees security issues in Central Asia as inextricably tied to its own domestic security concerns, and is rapidly establishing a footprint that will allow it to deal with matters as it sees fit in the region.

China’s expanding global influence has sparked a variety of international responses.

As NATO prepares to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, China has an opportunity to assert some leadership in helping steer Afghanistan in a more positive direction.