The Role of Pakistan–China Strategic Alignment in Shaping South Asian Security

Abstract

This paper discusses how Pakistan China strategic alignment has impacted on the changing South Asian security order. Within the framework of the changing regional power politics, the increasing India China rivalry and the increasing foreign influence in the region, the paper examines how the relationship between Pakistan and China works as a major determinant of regional security and strategic stability. With the theoretical prism of neorealism, the article delves into the history of the development of this relationship, its strategic aspects, and its security consequences, such as military collaboration, nuclear deterrence, and the economic-security nexus within the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The discussion identifies the role of such alignment in creating a level of power balance in South Asia, the role of alignment in determining the perception of security by India and the impact of alignment on stability in the region. It is the view of the study that Pakistan China strategic cooperation has become a core element of the South Asian security structure, redefining the status quo thereof and also creating new challenges as well as strategic dilemmas. The results provide policy-implication information regarding the future path of regional security in a multipolar international system that is becoming more multipolar