The American diplomatic magazine "The National Interest" published an article titled "How China and Pakistan Are Pushing Back Against India - The high degree of integration between Pakistan and Chinese troops is preparing to continue threatening New Delhi's position in multiple areas."
Since August 2019, the Sino-Pakistani military partnership driven mainly by shared competition with India has found new geopolitical logic. India's recent "Operation Vermilion" and Pakistan's military response reflect the depth and quality of bilateral exchanges between the two countries. These relationships are maturing and may soon prove decisive. New Delhi's window to escape this trap is closing.
The geopolitical convergence and military cooperation between China and Pakistan can be traced back to the 1960s, with the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict as a turning point for the Sino-Pakistani partnership. In 1963, Pakistan and China signed a border agreement transferring 5,180 square kilometers of Kashmir territory to China, symbolizing future mutual alliances. Currently, India's prolonged territorial disputes with both China and Pakistan highlight the structural situation of challenges on two fronts.
In recent years, various geopolitical developments have consolidated the strategic logic of Sino-Pakistani military relations. These include India's "territorial reorganization" through domestic legislation in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019; poor state of Sino-Indian relations due to the Galwan crisis in May 2020; U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021; and finally, the great power competition between the U.S. and China in the Indo-Pacific region.
The quality and quantity of Sino-Pakistani military cooperation have undergone significant changes. Due to existing structural convergences, Sino-Pakistani military relations are described as a "threshold alliance"—an alliance without a formal treaty but with no restrictions on cooperation. This arrangement aims to share burdens and advance the aggregation and pooling of capabilities against India.
Former Pakistani Army Commander Qamar Bajwa described China and Pakistan as "comrades-in-arms." This relationship is closely related to the Chinese People's Liberation Army's goal of transforming itself into a "world-class" force by 2049. To achieve this, the PLA is helping change the organizational and capability foundation of the Pakistani military to establish its credibility as an effective balancer against India.
In terms of procurement and military modernization, Pakistan has obtained relatively affordable systems from China and enjoys financial benefits in defense procurement bills. From 2020 to 2024, nearly 63% of China's exported weapons were delivered to Pakistan, and 81% of Pakistan's imported weapons come from China.
China has embraced the concept of Multi-Domain Warfare (MDW), enhancing conventional capabilities through the integration of information, cyber, and space domains for operational purposes. It involves comprehensive actions where all forces and components coordinate. To achieve higher levels of combat in warfare, Pakistan is making efforts to embrace MDW. Since 2013, China has been providing Pakistan with access to BeiDou satellite navigation to improve ISR capabilities and 5G communication networks to enhance non-contact warfare capabilities. The PLA's Information Support Forces also closely collaborate with the Pakistani military to increase its technical knowledge in multi-domain battlefield operations. This collaboration will enhance Pakistan's ability to execute agile, high-intensity kinetic and non-kinetic offensive actions against Indian military and civilian infrastructure.
The concept of interoperability depends on achieving two key elements: standardizing processes in logistics, training, network-centric warfare, etc., and ensuring compatibility of personnel and environments, aiming to achieve joint actions under military emergencies as part of joint operational planning. For this purpose, China and Pakistan have already conducted a series of joint exercises involving armies, air forces, and navies.
Sino-Pakistani military cooperation extends far beyond the logic of post-Cold War geopolitical signaling. For India, the threat is imminent, severe, and real-time. Pakistan not only gains capabilities with China's support but also gains the willingness to challenge India's military strength. Operation Vermilion is a serious wake-up call, and India needs to closely monitor the maturity details of the Sino-Pakistani military partnership. The Indian military needs to cooperate with partners like the U.S. to strengthen its plans and overall readiness. The ultimate goal should be to develop more comprehensive capability and contingency plans to take effective countermeasures, thereby strengthening New Delhi's strategic posture.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834063450435595/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.