THE US-CHINA NEXUS IN PAKISTAN AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIAN SECURITY

China's strategic calculus is twofold. First, by anchoring Pakistan into its economic orbit, Beijing aims to stabilize Xinjiang and shield its western flank. Second, and more crucially, it uses Pakistan as a lever to hem India in on two fronts.

- PROF. NISHAKANT OJHA

of 21st-century geopolitics, South Asia is witnessing a realignment of strategic interests where global powers are actively reshaping the regional balance. At the core of this shift lies Pakistan—an increasingly fragile state whose strategic geography has once again made it a battleground for great power diplomacy.

While China continues to entrench its economic and military influence through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the United States, despite its pivot to the Indo-Pacific, is recalibrating its engagement with Islamabad. For India, this convergence of diplomatic activism in its western neighborhood poses a multidimensional challenge—strategic, security-related, and geopolitical.

CHINA'S STRATEGIC ENTRENCHMENT IN PAKISTAN

China's deepening involvement in Pakistan is far more than a commercial endeavor. Through the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship initiative under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing has gained direct access to the Arabian Sea, bypassing the Malacca Strait choke point. More critically, the CPEC runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a region India claims as its own. This not only violates India's sovereignty but also signals China's increasing readiness to challenge India on matters of core national interest.

China's strategic calculus is twofold. First, by anchoring Pakistan into its economic orbit, Beijing aims to stabilize Xinjiang and shield its western flank. Second, and more crucially, it uses Pakistan as a lever to hem India in on two fronts. The depth of this relationship is visible in growing military cooperation: co-development of fighter aircraft, joint naval patrols, and intelligence sharing have turned Pakistan into a quasi-client state of Beijing. Reports of potential Chinese military logistics facilities in Gwadar further highlight the long-term trajectory of this partnership.

WASHINGTON'S TACTICAL RE-ENGAGEMENT WITH ISLAMABAD