The China-Pakistan military partnership, driven primarily by shared competition with India, has found renewed geostrategic logic since August 2019. India’s recent Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s military response reflect the depth and quality of its bilateral exchanges with China. These ties are maturing and could soon prove decisive. New Delhi’s window to escape from this trap is closing. Following the logic of legendary Indian strategist Kautilya and his Mandala theory, China and Pakistan have emerged as natural strategic partners, seeking to counterbalance India. This alignment was visibly reinforced during Operation Sindoor. On May 6–7, 2025, the Indian military targeted terrorist infrastructure in response to a likely Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir. In retaliation, the Pakistani military launched Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos to target India. During the crisis episode, the employment of Chinese-origin fighter jets, Chinese PL-15 missiles, and drones highlighted a significant level of convergence in operational capabilities. Concurrently, the presence of the Chinese survey vessel Da Yang Yi Hao, equipped with advanced sensors in the Indian Ocean, signals a larger strategic coordination. Besides the use of Chinese military technology, Chinese air defense, and satellite-based ISR support in response to Operation Sindoor, the DG ISPR briefings highlight Pakistan’s efforts to emulate the multi-domain warfare of the Chinese military. The episode underscores the real-time materialization of the emergent China-Pakistan two-front military threat. The geostrategic alignment is rapidly translating into a functional military synergy with serious implications for India’s national security.
How China and Pakistan Work Against India (Harsh V. Pant, Rahul Rawat – Observer Research Foundation)
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