China's Pakistan strategy: A calculated disruption for India

In the grand chessboard of South Asian geopolitics, China's partnership with Pakistan has long served as a key instrument in Beijing's efforts to unsettle India.

- KHEDROOB THONDUP

While official narratives frame the China-Pakistan alliance as one of economic cooperation and regional stability, the underlying strategy suggests a deliberate attempt to check India's rise through military, economic, and diplomatic maneuvering.

China's growing influence in Pakistan is deeply intertwined with its own global ambitions.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, offers China direct access to the Arabian Sea, bypassing potentially vulnerable trade routes.

For Pakistan, these investments provide critical infrastructure, yet they also cement a dependency that Beijing can leverage to keep Islamabad firmly in its orbit.

For India, the expansion of Chinese control over Pakistani infrastructure—especially in regions bordering India—creates security concerns.