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In the late 1960s China and the then Soviet Union nearly came to blows during which Moscow threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons. Now China's new wealth is becoming an attraction for Russian retirees, and they're moving their roubles across the border, breaking tradition and creating new issues for a nation with its own migration problems.

Presenter - Adam Connors
Speaker - Kirill Nourzhanov, Far East Russia expert at Australia National University; Dr Tsuneo Akaha, editor of Crossing National Borders: Human Migration Issues in Northeast Asia.

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China is the target of growing disapproval in Europe, over Beijing's weak currency and growing trade surplus. As the annual EU-China summit wound up in Beijing, European leaders warned their Chinese counterparts that their economic relationship is becoming unsustainable. They've called for faster action from Beijing to boost the currency, or risk retaliation in the form of higher import tarriffs.

Speaking in Beijing, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said Europe's trade relationship with China is suffering from a growing imbalance. The EU's trade deficit with China of more than $US200 billion this year is becoming a touchy political issue, even as economic and business ties deepen.

Presenter - Karon Snowdon
Speaker - Richard Gibbs, the Global Head of Economics with the Macquarie Group

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Over the past 20 years, China has signed extradition treaties with more than 20 nations, most of them from developing countries. Now, Beijing is seeking to forge similar arrangements with Western states, with a view to repatriating and prosecuting corrupt officials.

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China's President Hu Jintao has begun a week-long tour of former Soviet republics in Central Asia. His first stop was Kyrgyzstan, on China's western borders, where he signed a range of anti-terrorism, economic, and cultural agreements.