... available ground infrastructure). Another possibility is joint drills involving the Russian and Chinese navies. The Russian strategic maneuvers already include a significant naval component, but on that occasion, China did not take part. Moscow and Beijing have not disclosed when the decision to proceed with the joint drills was made. We believe it was finalized during a sitting of a bilateral commission on military cooperation and the arms trade held in Moscow in December 2017. The visit by the Chinese ...

... the situation over the Iranian nuclear program, which was agreed in Vienna on July 14, 2015 by the six international mediators (Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States) and Iran. At about the same time in 2013, shortly after Xi Jinping got himself appointed to all the top Communist Party and government offices, China launched a massive campaign against corruption in the law-enforcement, security, and secret services, with a special emphasis on the Ministry of Public Security ...

... any more. But we did help them a lot in the past; I had many business trips to China. The Chinese are very good at copying: they buy a sample, study it, then start making copies. They are very good at industrial espionage. I recall a negotiation in Beijing; the room where it was held was chock-full of microphones to eavesdrop on conversations between members of the Russian delegation. I once took them by surprise by suddenly walking into the next room, and saw them listening in and recording us. In ...

... use any U.S. technologies or know-how. According to some estimates, such technologies account for about 5 per cent of the Barakah NPP project. China’s prospects in the Iranian nuclear energy market deserve a more detailed analysis. Like Moscow, Beijing prioritizes nuclear energy in its national energy strategy. As of August 10, 2016, there were 35 nuclear power reactors in operation in the PRC, 15 of which were launched in 2014-2016. Another 20 are being built. Russia has 36 nuclear power reactors ...

... that this is a promising country. What is your opinion about China’s influence on the current situation in Afghanistan? As I have already noted, with the Islamic factor in mind, China cannot turn a blind eye on the developments in Afghanistan. Beijing will seek to rely on Kabul as its natural ally in fight against its domestic radicals as well as the Taliban. The Chinese will also try to attract the latter by offering economic projects; if these prove advantageous, they might be promising. What ...