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Reid Standish

Reid Standish is a correspondent for RFE/RL focused on China in Eurasia. He previously worked for Foreign Policy magazine in Washington and Moscow and has reported across Europe and Central Asia for The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Politico Europe.

Produced by Reid Standish

August 15, 2022
A Year After Taliban Takeover, What Are China's Plans For Afghanistan?

Raffaello Pantucci, the author of Sinostan and a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, explains what we know about China's plans for Afghanistan after a year of Taliban rule.
August 02, 2022
China's Belt And Road Grapples With Mounting Debt Crisis, Impacting Pakistan, Central Asia, And Beyond

As Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan deal with paying back their large Chinese loans amid growing economic pressure, the Belt and Road is having to adapt to a cascade of countries in economic distress and facing potential default. How Beijing responds could have far-reaching consequences.
July 31, 2022
Interview: Why Is Chinese Investment Drying Up In Pakistan And Russia?

Fudan University's Christoph Nedopil Wang explains his latest research on the Belt and Road Initiative adapting to growing economic risk and why Chinese investment is falling in Russia and Pakistan.
February 08, 2022
'Iron Brothers': Pakistan's Khan Joins World Leaders In Capitalizing On In-Person Diplomacy At Olympics

Despite a Western diplomatic boycott, many world leaders traveled to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics to get rare in-person meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
October 29, 2021
Europe Should 'Think Twice' About Deeper Ties With China, Warns Taiwanese Foreign Minister

European countries -- including Hungary, Romania, and Serbia -- should "think twice" about deepening economic ties with China before their foreign policy becomes "skewed," warned Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu during a diplomatic trip through Europe.
October 14, 2021
From A Secret Base in Tajikistan, China's War On Terror Adjusts To A New Reality

Worried about militant threats, Chinese troops have built some structures and lookout towers in Tajikistan as part of a growing security presence focused on Afghanistan. RFE/RL reports on the base from the Afghan-Tajik border.
October 05, 2021
Taliban 'Removing' Uyghur Militants From Afghanistan's Border With China

The Taliban has relocated ethnic Uyghur militants from an area close to Afghanistan's small border with China. The development marks a sign of growing coordination between Beijing and the Taliban when it comes to dealing with Chinese security concerns.
September 27, 2021
Beijing Cautiously Backs Taliban's Hopes Of International Recognition In Afghanistan

China has emerged as a pragmatic backer of the Taliban’s nascent rule and pushing to get the group more political and economic support.
September 13, 2021
Afghanistan In Focus At Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit

The Eurasian security bloc will meet in Dushanbe on September 16 as China, Russia, Iran, and several countries from South and Central Asia navigate the situation in Afghanistan.
September 07, 2021
China Prepares For A New Era In South Asia After Taliban Takeover

Beijing's influence across the region is rising, but China’s interests are also facing a new wave of pushback.
August 20, 2021
Explainer: What Does China Want From Afghanistan After The Taliban Takeover?

Beijing is preparing for a reshaped geopolitical map and a new era of security risks in South and Central Asia after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.
August 12, 2021
Beijing Hopes To Replicate Pakistani Model For Returning Uyghurs To China

China has used its massive economic clout to gain Pakistan’s cooperation in its transnational campaign targeting Uyghurs, a model that Beijing is trying to export across Asia and the Middle East, a new report finds.
July 30, 2021
Attacks On Chinese Workers In Pakistan Raise Regional Security Questions For Beijing

Another attack on Chinese personnel in Pakistan has Beijing reconsidering its options to protect its people and interests along the Belt and Road Initiative.
July 20, 2021
Explainer: Why Is China Talking To The Taliban?

Beijing and the Taliban are strange bedfellows in Afghanistan, but they actually have a complicated, decades-old relationship.
July 14, 2021
China Cautiously Eyes New Regional Leadership Role As Afghanistan Fighting Intensifies

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a Central Asia tour to shore up support for Beijing's interests in Afghanistan amid concerns of a security vacuum left by the U.S.-led international military withdrawal.
July 13, 2021
Pakistani Prime Minister Defends China's Political Model And ‘All-Weather Friendship’ With Beijing

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is under fire at home for praising China’s political system, but Beijing and Islamabad’s partnership is set to only deepen.
June 08, 2021
What Pakistan's Relationship With China Tells Us About The Belt And Road Initiative

A study of how Beijing and Islamabad negotiate deals shows how China is adapting its massive infrastructure project.
April 28, 2021
Will Chinese Policies In Afghanistan Change After U.S. Military Pullout?

Beijing is preparing to wield more influence in Afghanistan but is cautious about getting too involved in the country’s chaos.
September 30, 2020
Pulling Back The Curtain On China's 'Project Of The Century'

A new book, The Emperor's New Road, tells the inside story of how Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative actually looks on the ground.
September 25, 2020
Beijing Cautiously Ramps Up Its Belt And Road Dreams In Pakistan, Afghanistan

After a summer of important deals and maneuvers, China is rejuvenating its economic and political footprint in South Asia.

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