中亞

我們對中亞的印象大約停在遊牧民族蒙古人和突厥人，這是因為中亞地形遼闊，有著像天山山脈這樣的高山，也有著塔克拉瑪干沙漠，土地非常乾燥，且遠離海洋，才會有這麼多遊牧民族。而「乾燥缺水」這一特色，也牽動著現代中亞五國的相互關係，國與國之間常為了爭搶水資源起衝突。 中亞地區只有五個國家，他們有許多共通點：都是前蘇聯加盟國，名字後面都有個「-stan」（斯坦）， 都信奉伊斯蘭教。這個古代的絲綢之路，到了21 世紀則共同成為中國一帶一路重點國家。中亞五國過去在國際間能見度不高，但在中美對抗白熱化後，漸漸成為中美俄三國的關注重點。

Our impression of Central Asia remains that of nomadic Mongolians and Turks. This is because the expanse of Central Asia is wide and vast, ranging from the Tian Shan Mountains to the Taklamakan Desert. It is extremely dry and far away from the ocean, leading to the many nomad settlements. Being characteristically "dry with a lack of water" has also played an important role in the relationship between the five countries in Central Asia, often triggering conflicts between countries fighting for water resources. 

There are only five countries in Central Asia, and they share many commonalities: they are all former Soviet republics, their country names all end in "-stan," and they are all Islamic countries. The ancient silk road is an important asset of China's Belt and Road project in the 21st century. In the past, the five Central Asian countries have been internationally low-profile, but with the China-U.S. confrontation escalating, they have become the center of attention for China, the U.S., and Russia.