Analysis by CNN’s Ben Westcott and Steven Jiang
The escalation between Pakistan and India this week has put Beijing in an awkward position.
It isn’t just that China shares a border with the contested region of Kashmir — Beijing also has important links with both Pakistan and India that it needs to balance.
China has close economic, diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan, making it one of the nation’s closest allies in region.
Meanwhile, China’s long-running trade war with the US has forced Beijing to look for alternative trading partners. As result, China has started to rebuild ties with rival power India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“They have to do something to show that they are helping to keep things under control, while not appearing unreliable as Pakistan’s ally,” said Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London.
The war in Iran has extended far beyond the Middle East and is now affecting…
On March 18, 2026, during her testimony, DNI Tulsi Gabbard said that the development of…
The intensifying confrontation involving Iran, the United States, and Israel has rapidly evolved into one…
As the world's focus remains glued to missiles, proxies, and military posturing in the Middle…
The situation of Pakistan with the Strait of Hormuz is more dangerous than ever. The…
by Muhammad Mohsin Iqbal The present moment in world affairs bears a strange and unsettling…