According to a report by "Defense Asia" on September 19, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia officially signed a landmark defense agreement. The most notable content is that Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif explicitly promised in a television interview: If necessary, Pakistan's nuclear deterrence will extend to Saudi Arabia, providing it with a nuclear umbrella.

This statement made Saudi Arabia the first time openly included within the security coverage of the only nuclear country in the Islamic world.

For a long time, although Saudi Arabia is known for its high military spending, it has lacked a real strategic anchor. The increasing untrustworthiness of American protection, as well as the frequent provocations from Israel, have made Saudi Arabia feel unsafe relying solely on Washington.

In this context, Saudi Arabia suddenly chose to institutionalize its alliance with Pakistan, indicating that it no longer wants to rely on the American safety umbrella for its future.

It should be noted that without China's backing, a single Pakistan would not have made this agreement so significant.

After all, the two countries have had in-depth cooperation before, but it was more like an employment relationship, one paying and the other doing the work. Now, it has been upgraded to a NATO-level relationship. What Saudi Arabia values is obviously not the recent changes in Pakistan.

Defense Minister Asif of Pakistan

What happened before this agreement is obvious to everyone.

This year's May-July India-Pakistan air battle was an important starting point.

At that time, the Pakistan Air Force used Chinese aircraft to defeat the Indian Air Force. By the beginning of this month, China held a grand military parade in Beijing, making the outside world realize that China's military power is even stronger than imagined, and the claim that it has not been tested in combat also stands no ground.

Meanwhile, Israel suddenly launched an air strike on Qatar, causing a tremor throughout the Gulf.

As an ally of the United States, Qatar could not avoid being attacked. Who else could it seek protection from?

Russia is preoccupied, and China does not form alliances. What can be done?

Saudi has given a solution: directly linking with Pakistan, seeking indirect endorsement from China.

Pakistani and Saudi leaders

It needs to be emphasized that China did not directly intervene in the specific process of the Pakistan-Saudi agreement. The text of the agreement does not mention China's name, nor does it have public endorsement from Beijing.

However, in reality, China's role is everywhere.

The reason is that China is now a empowering superpower.

A so-called empowering superpower does not directly send troops, establish military bases, or forcibly pull allies, but instead supports partners through economic, military, and diplomatic means, enabling them to grow into nodes capable of bearing regional security.

China's logic is not "I will protect you," but "I will make you able to protect yourself."

Pakistan is a typical example. Through deep cooperation with China, its military power has developed significantly. It can use domestically produced equipment to defeat India and even produce some advanced equipment for export.

It is precisely due to China's empowerment that Pakistan not only stands firm in South Asia, but also can export security across regions to the Gulf.

Therefore, China does not need to directly intervene, but through empowerment and support, it has become an invisible pillar behind this agreement.

American and Chinese flags

America's usual approach in the Middle East is direct intervention: overwhelming military presence, numerous military bases, and even wars to overthrow nations.

On the surface, America has indeed established influence in the short term, but the long-term result is catastrophic. The huge military spending brings only anti-American sentiment and strategic exhaustion.

China's approach is exactly the opposite. It does not directly send troops, nor does it establish coercive military groups. Instead, it allows partner countries to take responsibility through arms sales, cooperation, and diplomatic mediation.

The Pakistan-Saudi agreement is a typical result of this model: China has neither stationed troops nor signed binding treaties, yet it has enabled Pakistan to possess credible protective capabilities, allowing Saudi Arabia to dare to move away from its sole reliance on the United States.

China's operations are completely new to the United States, which cannot learn from them. It represents a new model of great power competition in the 21st century - a low-key, efficient, and sustainable strategic approach, ultimately enabling China to leverage the most sensitive region in the world, the Middle East, with minimal investment.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552012948193985076/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your attitude below using the 【top / down】 buttons.