The contents of this article are written with authoritative materials and personal opinions. The source of the literature has been marked at the end of the article, so please know.

Pakistan, everyone calls it "Barthe", for so many years, it has been our China's ironest boy in South Asia.However, starting in 2023, Pakistan seems to be moving closer to the United States, while continuing to cooperate with China, while also signing some military, energy, mineral and other agreements with the United States.

This change is a little worrying, Is this ¡°ironest neighbor¡± going to ¡°run¡± to the United States?But if you look at these things together, you¡¯ll find that Pakistan isn¡¯t so easy to ¡°turn back¡± to the United States, and China has been prepared for it.

China-Pakistan relations are not a matter of a day or two, they have a historical foundation. As early as the last century, China helped build nuclear power plants in Pakistan, which was the first step in our nuclear energy export.

Later, the two sides became strategic partners. China's Ministry of National Defense has also said that China-Pakistan relations are "brothers with one heart, and their profits break gold".This feeling is not just lip service. Real projects, military cooperation, and economic and trade exchanges have made both sides a community of interests.

Take the "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor" as an example. This important cooperation route connecting the north and south of Pakistan is not only a key project of "the belt and road initiative", but also the pillar of Pakistan's domestic economic development.

By 2024, all 17 important energy projects in the first phase of the corridor will be completed and put into operation. The total installed capacity is approximately 8904 megawatts, greatly alleviating the long-standing power shortage in Pakistan.These achievements have not only improved the lives of the Pakistani people, but also strengthened the relationship between China and Pakistan.

According to Pakistani data, of 90 planned projects, only 38 have been completed, 23 are under construction, and the rest have not yet begun, meaning there are delays and efficiency problems.

These practical difficulties also remind us in China that cooperation cannot only focus on the general direction, but also pay attention to project management and security. Otherwise, it will be easily used by external forces to "attack the hearts."

Starting from 2023, relations between Pakistan and the United States will heat up significantly. Pakistan has renewed a 15-year military cooperation agreement, allowing the United States to continue to set up military bases in Pakistan.

In June, Munir, commander-in-chief of the Pakistani Army, personally went to the White House, had dinner with Trump, and took the opportunity of India-Pakistan friction to show kindness to the United States.At the same time, Pakistan officials also issued a document saying that "the United States plays a key role in easing the conflict between India and Pakistan," implying that relations should start again.

The reason why Trump wants to restart U.S.-Pakistan cooperation must have its own small abacus behind it. According to U.S. data, the total trade volume between the United States and Pakistan reached US$7.3 billion in 2024, an increase of more than 5 percentage points over the previous year, and a rare trade surplus also emerged.The United States takes a fancy not only to economic interests, but also regards Pakistan as a tool to check and balance China's influence in South Asia.

In addition to oil cooperation, the U.S. has also focused on Pakistan¡¯s mineral and rare earth resources. The two sides signed a memorandum in September, in which the United States committed to investing in these areas.This is a great temptation for Pakistan, which is under economic pressure and short of foreign exchange, and it has also become a new capital for it to engage in "balanced diplomacy".

In fact, Pakistan does not really want to completely "tilt" towards the United States, but wants to learn from India and engage in "swinging from both sides." It is necessary to continue to receive China's support in infrastructure, energy, and military affairs, and to borrow American money and technology to alleviate economic problems and enhance international status.

At the end of June, China's ambassador to Pakistan and senior Pakistani leaders discussed the promotion of the "Chinese-Pakistani Economic Corridor PLUS" version. Immediately afterwards, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar said during a visit to the United States that "we cannot look at U.S. and Pakistani relations from a Chinese perspective."

At the end of July, Pakistan announced that it would buy a Chinese-made C919 passenger plane.Bringing Chinese manufacturing to the South Asian market for the first time, and on the other hand, signed oil reserves cooperation agreements with the United States, He also called the reduction of U.S. tariffs from 29% to 19% a ¡°victory.¡±

He not only expressed his loyalty to China, but also showed flexibility in front of the United States, wanting to gain more benefits. In fact, there is also pressure within Pakistan. The poor economy, the threat of terrorism and political instability all make it want to find more backers and avoid "betting" the country's destiny on a partner.

China has not been disrupted by Pakistan's "balanced diplomacy", but has already had a plan. China-Pakistan cooperation is not built on the basis of "get one step one", but through deep bonding of interests to establish stable relations.

The $13 billion project under construction can not only build a cross-regional infrastructure network, but also create more than 150,000 jobs, becoming an important support for Pakistan's domestic stability.

Militarily, China has also delivered fighter jets and tanks in advance, which has helped improve Pakistan's defense capabilities. The performance of J-10C fighters in the Indo-Pakistan conflict is an example.This mutually promoting relationship between security and development makes Pakistan unable to shake away from China¡¯s support even if it wants to ¡°shake¡±.

More importantly, China does not rule out cooperation with the Balkans. For example, in shale oil development, the United States has better technology, but China has no advantage in this regard.

With the help of the United States, Pakistan is engaged in energy exploitation and economic development, and China is also happy to see its success. China is more concerned about its long-term strategy and stable environment, and supporting multilateral cooperation is also in line with China's idea of opposing unipolar hegemony.

At the China-Pakistan talks, Munir and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a clear promise: "Developing friendly cooperation with China is the consensus of the whole Pakistani society."This sentence is not only a political statement, but also a realistic choice.

China-Pakistan relations have developed from single project cooperation to comprehensive, multi-level cooperation, with energy, transport, military, as well as education, culture, science and technology, forming a "community of interests" that is difficult to replace.

Even if some projects have been delayed, China has the ability to make adjustments in terms of security, funding and management.China is not only the building party, but also the largest investor, and has the initiative.

Moreover, as the Corridor 1 energy project landed, Pakistan¡¯s reliance on China continued to deepen in terms of electricity, ports, infrastructure, etc., which could not be replaced by short-term aid or several agreements.

From oil cooperation to mineral development, from military agreements to diplomatic rhetoric, Pakistan is indeed strengthening its exchanges with the United States. This is its inevitable choice when facing internal and external pressure. But this does not mean that the "most iron neighbor" will fall to the United States.

Through decades of in-depth cooperation, China has built a system of "community of interests + strategic binding" that will not be easily shaken by a few new agreements.

Moreover, China¡¯s inclusive attitude to multilateral development has also allowed Pakistan to not worry about the ¡°stand-up¡± to trigger conflict in Latin America, fundraising, energy and so on.

A series of events from 2023 to 2025 show that China's plan has already begun. Even if Pakistan continues to "balance" between China and the United States, the cornerstone of China-Pakistan relations remains solid. For China, Pakistan may also become a bridge of communication between China and the United States rather than a potential opponent.

References:

1. "Pakistani Media: Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Meets Trump at the White House" 2025-06-19 14:23:09 | Source: Global Times

2. "Wang Yi meets with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Munir" 2025-08-22 05:20 | Source: Xinhuanet

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