#USChinaTensions Contemporary US-China tensions are often likened to the Cold War competition between the United States and the USSR. However, the rivalry also mirrors “The Great Game,” an intense 19th-century contest between the British and Russian Empires in Central Asia. Both empires saw this region as strategically crucial — Britain aimed to protect its colonial interests in India, while Russia sought to expand southward, threatening British India. The “game” involved diplomatic maneuvers, espionage, and occasional military confrontations, with both powers vying for dominance in Afghanistan, Persia (modern-day Iran), and Tibet. The Great Game combined open conflict with subtler tactics like forming alliances with local rulers, espionage, and propaganda.