Sustaining the Dragon, Dodging the Eagle and Barring the Bear? Assessing the Role and Importance of Central Asia in Chinese National Strategy Saim Naveed ABSTRACT This paper assesses the role and importance of Central Asia to China within the context of Chinese grand strategy. It highlights the importance of the region in terms of providing access to energy and strategic mineral resources; the military-strategic significance of Central Asia including its role as a complement to Chinese maritime strategy; and its importance within Sino-Russian relations, in particular due to the dual cooperative-competitive context of the Sino-Russian relationship. The impact of the latter on the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Chinese perspectives on its future role is also considered. The paper also examines the implications for China of Central Asia’s emergence as a critic
