China–Pakistan Relationship: A Game-changer for the Middle East?

Abstract

For decades, Pakistan has played a key role as a cornerstone of China’s strategy for Central Asia and South Asia. Its geo-strategic position is crucial as it serves as a gateway to the Middle East, where China seeks access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf region. This study tentatively attempts examine how recent promising developments between China and Pakistan may enhance Beijing’s economic and strategic regional influence and thus change the scope of Beijing’s influence from geo-economic to geo-strategic in the Middle East. The findings indicate that China–Pakistan relations may have broad geo-economic and geo-strategic implications, not only for the Middle East, but also for the broader Asia region where both the US and China compete to assert their sphere of influence.