Russia and China: A Common Cause

They are superpowers past and present, sharing a common border as well as a wariness of the U.S. But they have long skirmished with each other over trade and territory. Even today big questions remain unresolved: Should the two giants stand against the U.S. together? How long can Russia control nearly one-third of the Asian continent while its population dwindles? Here’s a look at 2000 years of dreamers and despots who have lead the dragon and the bear.

You will need to install or upgrade your Flash Player to be able to view this Flash content. You can do this for free from Adobe. Also, Javascript must be turned on.

TIME graphic by Feilding Cage, Nathan Thornburgh, and Elisabeth Salemme