China, Pakistan expand military ties

China and Pakistan have pledged to deepen and expand their military ties to protect regional peace and stability. This statement was released by the Chinese defense ministry on Wednesday during the maiden visit of Pakistan army chief, General Syed Asim Munir to Beijing.

Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, emphasized that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and close friends. He added that China always gives Pakistan priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, regardless of how the international situation changes. The Chinese official’s comments came amid a growing strategic and economic partnership between the two countries.

In response, Munir reiterated the need for maintaining peace and stability in the region and enhancing military-to-military cooperation. He was given a warm welcome upon his arrival at the People’s Liberation Army headquarters in Beijing and presented with a guard of honor.

Video of the meeting between #Pakistan’s senior-most land warfare military officer and #China’s top-level diplomat. https://t.co/5TJ60mIP1i pic.twitter.com/WtL8NHKVhM

— The STRATCOM Bureau (@OSPSF) April 28, 2023

Pakistan and China have ongoing border disputes with India, threatening regional security. To counter these challenges, the two nations have been steadily strengthening their military cooperation, with China investing heavily in Pakistan's defense infrastructure.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said that Munir will hold further meetings with military officials in China to enhance the "longstanding relations between the two militaries" during his four-day visit.

Analysts suggest that Munir's visit is crucial as it comes amid political, economic, and security crises in Pakistan. With Pakistan's dependency on China for economic stability and regional security coordination growing in the face of financial challenges and renewed threats of terrorism, this visit takes on added significance.

Furthermore, while the Pakistani military remains engaged with China on regional security, the economy has taken over as a central agenda in the meetings between the military commanders of the two nations.

Analysts see this as a new development that indicates that the Chinese military is closely following Pakistan's economic challenges.

China has invested $60 billion in the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and is Pakistan's key economic and defense partner. As Islamabad struggles to resume a much-needed $1.1 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it has sought help from its allies, mainly China, to roll over some of its existing loans.

However, the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan has been a significant concern for Chinese authorities, with multiple attacks targeting Chinese personnel and facilities in recent years. Two years ago, 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals working at the same hydropower project, were killed in an attack claimed by the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

In April last year, three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide attack at a university in Karachi, claimed by a Baloch rebel group fighting for a separate Balochistan in the southwest. These incidents have prompted Chinese authorities to demand better protection for their nationals in Pakistan.

The deepening of military ties between China and Pakistan, therefore, highlights the need for closer cooperation between their security forces to enhance the security of Chinese investments and personnel in Pakistan.