A New Great Game? China & Afghanistan

China's Belt & Road Initiative is back in the spotlight. Indeed, it looks as if Central Asia is poised to make a return to the centre of China's strategic affairs and foreign policy planning more broadly.

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban last weekend raises a number of geo-political questions, not least how - or indeed whether - China will look to capitalise on the withdrawal of the US from a key country within its sphere of influence. Chinese foreign policy experts often like to suggest that there is opportunity to be found in a crisis, but how Beijing will interact with the Taliban will surely be a stern test of their mantra that where there is a '危' there is also a '机'. Afghanistan boasts natural resources, can act as a conduit to Pakistan and out to open for water for Chinese exports destined to traverse the Belt & Road Initiative, and provides an opportunity for China to showcase its capabilities as a mediator on the world stage. Conversely, it also represents a geo-political headache, testing China's relationships with almost all of its neighbours, not to mention Russia and the US.

Dr Samuel Ramani is a tutor of politics & international relations at the University of Oxford, where he received his DPhil in March 2021. He is a specialist on post-1991 Russian foreign policy with a particular focus on Russia's engagement with the Middle East, Africa, and the Indo-Pacific Region. Sam spoke to the CBBC's Joe Cash on why he believes that China is well placed to manage the relationship with its new neighbour.

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