Central Asia: Whose “Great Game”? – 中亚:谁的“大游戏”?

The geopolitical posturing of major powers in Central Asia has often been referred to as a “great game,” but whose game is it? Is it between China and Russia; China and the United States; or between Russia and the United States? Or is it a melee between all the great powers? This article seeks to answer this question. The paper analyzes and discusses the strategic relations between China and Russia, China and the United States, and Russia and the United States in Central Asia respectively, and points out that Russia and the United States are the real protagonists of the “great game” in Central Asia, and the strategic competition between Russia and the United States is the basic content of the “great game.” Since 2014, the regional and international situation in Central Asia has undergone major changes. Under such circumstances, will the “great game” continue? Will its structure change? The text also makes judgments on this issue.