Pakistan-China-Russia: An Analysis of Trilateral Relations

The expanding trilateral cooperation among Pakistan, China, and Russia is gaining significant international interest. Before analyzing the trilateral dynamic of these countries, it is essential to discuss the bilateral relationship between China and Russia. Both countries have intensified their strategic partnership since 2022, expanding cooperation across economic, technological, and diplomatic domains. On February 4, 2022, just weeks before Russia’s invaded Ukraine, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin issued a historic joint statement declaring that their bilateral partnership had “no limits.” In 2024, China-Russia trade surged to a record level of approximately $237 billion, driven largely by energy deals, industrial investment, and trade expansion. Following the 2025 SCO Summit, both states signed multiple agreements aimed at strengthening cooperation in agriculture, healthcare, nuclear energy, education, and scientific research. After the summit, Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom announced an agreement with China on the Power of Siberia 2 project. Gazprom already supplies natural gas to China through a 3,000-kilometer pipeline under the original Power of Siberia agreement. However, after the new deal was announced, the United States imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on Chinese products in an attempt to pressure Beijing into limiting its oil trade with Moscow.

Beyond the energy sector, Russia has also expanded military cooperation with China. The UK-based RUSI reports that Moscow is providing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with weapons, equipment, and training to enhance its airborne and Special Forces capabilities. Scientific and technological ties are also expanding, with both countries planning a joint lunar research station under the International Lunar Research Station initiative, including a nuclear-powered site on the Moon. Additionally, Moscow and Beijing have signed agreements to train Chinese naval officers in Arctic seamanship at Russian maritime institutions. The Arctic holds major significance for both states due to natural resources, strategic sea lanes, and shared military and economic interests. The two nations have also identified climate change as a mutual concern, with SCO and BRICS communiqués proposing joint climate platforms, including planned climate summits in Kazakhstan and Latin America. Taken together, such exceptional cooperation reflects a strategic alignment consistent with the realist maxim that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. However, at the 2025 SCO Summit, Chinese and Russian leaders actively promoted an alternative model of global governance, emphasizing de-dollarization, a new SCO development bank, and criticism of Cold War mentality, signaling a joint effort to counter Western particularly American dominance in global affairs.

Diplomatically, China has maintained a stance of neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. When the war began in February 2022, Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that China respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, including Ukraine, but also emphasized that Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO expansion must be taken seriously. Beijing called for dialogue and the implementation of the Minsk agreements as a means of peacefully resolving the conflict. China refrained from labeling Russia’s actions an invasion and instead attributed the escalation to NATO and the United States. Throughout the conflict, China has supported Russia economically, politically, and indirectly militarily. President Xi Jinping, during a visit by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, reiterated that both countries would resist Western pressure and sanctions. Despite this support, Beijing continues to present itself as a neutral mediator. On September 30, Chinese Ambassador to Ukraine Ma Shengkun stated China was prepared to work with both Russia and Ukraine to reach a ceasefire.

The strengthening of China-Russia relations holds important implications for Pakistan. Pakistan already maintains a longstanding strategic partnership with China and has aligned its economic development with Chinese-led initiatives such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Russia has also expressed interest in participating in CPEC. A closer Russia-China-Pakistan alignment could serve as a geopolitical counterweight to the growing India-U.S. partnership. Islamabad views cooperation with Beijing and Moscow as forming a third pillar of the regional strategic triangle. New Delhi views this shift with growing concern, especially after the prominent display of Pakistan-China strategic cooperation in 2025. A Russia-China-Pakistan triangle would provide Pakistan with diplomatic leverage to balance the Indo-U.S. influence. Chinese investment exceeding $62 billion under CPEC by 2023 has been critical for Pakistan’s infrastructure modernization, energy security, and economic growth. Russia is also becoming a key energy partner, particularly through the proposed Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline project designed to enhance long-term energy cooperation.

Conclusively, Pakistan is not exclusively aligned with a single bloc, unlike India, which participates simultaneously in both BRICS and U.S.-led strategic frameworks such as QUAD. India has mastered the art of balancing competing powers while extracting benefits from both sides. Pakistan must also adopt a diplomatic strategy of multilateral equilibrium rather than siding firmly with any one power. In the current era of multipolarity, Pakistan should expand cooperation with China, Russia, and the United States in ways that advance national interests rather than becoming entangled in ideological divisions. China follows a Xi Jinping ideology as China deleted all references of Mao Zedong Thought in its new political rulebook, while Russia currently reflects Putinism, a nationalist and neo-imperial ideology. Beyond external pressure, Pakistan must therefore maintain constructive relations with all major powers to safeguard its strategic, economic, and security interests.