After a long wait, the border between China and Tajikistan (a country in which China is the largest foreign investor) was finally ratified by the Tajik legislature in January, with China being handed more than 1,000 sq km of territory, a mere 3% of the 28,500 sq km that it had originally claimed. The mountainous territory concerned is likely to be inhabited sparsely, if at all. China has long played up its willingness to concede territory in order to resolve border disputes, pointing to its 1996 agreement with Kyrgyzstan and its 1998 agreement with Kazakhstan, in both of which China gave up disputed territory.

Nevertheless, some observers, notably in India, have analysed China's negotiating style as one of initially overclaiming territory in order to appear to be making concessions later when it settles for less-a consideration that could be relevant to China's territorial claims in India. China's willingness to negotiate witih the Central Asian states also reflects its desire to work closely with them to counter radical Islamic movements in the region and control separatist tendencies in the province of Xinjiang. Arguably, its willingness to agree on borders with the Central Asian states also reflects the fact that it does not see them as potential rivals. Territorial disputes, land and maritime, with India and Japan seem intractable because China is reluctant to concede to strategic rivals.