Opinion: Beijing can interpret all the "likes" of Moscow as weakness

On July 9, as part of the presentation of the report "A new round of the big game. The competition of the largest geopolitical players for Central Asia" Mikhail Vinogradov, head of the Petersburg Politics Foundation, speaking about the priorities of Russia's foreign policy, urged Moscow to focus on the East, but still understand which part of it is more important.

Vinogradov named five Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — as Russia's most likely priority. At the same time, the expert warned against not always correctly understanding China's mentality.

"Historically, we are used to giving China "likes", but in this country such behavior is interpreted only as weakness. We need to put aside excessive enthusiasm, we need to negotiate," Vinogradov believes.

The political scientist also called on the Russian political community to try to find other and more relevant intonations for the countries of Central Asia. Relations with them need to be built, "acting no longer from the position of an older brother."

The full version of the study can be found on the website of the Civil Society Development Foundation.