Comment by Riaz Haq on Thursday

The Caravan
@thecaravanindia
Any discussion of Pakistan that does not factor in China is incomplete. Pakistan’s military relationship with China is not a recent convenience but a long-running strategic alignment of over seven decades that now covers technology transfer, joint production, military modernisation, and political backing.

China’s emergence as a major military power has strengthened Pakistan militarily and given it resilience. Unlike earlier, Chinese support now ensures continuity in high-end capabilities and deterrence that outlasts temporary shifts in relations with the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia, or others. When the next military crisis emerges, this foundational backing from China will weigh heavily against India, regardless of Pakistan’s standalone performance or isolation in other spheres.

Sushant Singh (
@SushantSin
) writes: https://caravanmagazine.in/security/sindoor-china-pakistan-not-stan...

https://x.com/thecaravanindia/status/2059912316926456087?s=20


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The Dragon in the Room: Why Pakistan is no longer a standalone threat

by Sushant Singh

https://caravanmagazine.in/security/sindoor-china-pakistan-not-stan...

The Narendra Modi government marked the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor with a familiar mix of self-congratulation and narrative management, saturating the domestic information space with boastful claims of unprecedented success. However, an interview broadcast by China’s state television the same day pointed to a more complex and less comfortable reality. In a striking disclosure, Zhang Heng, a senior engineer at China’s Aviation Industry Corporation, confirmed that Chinese personnel provided real-time technical support to the Pakistan Air Force during last year’s military confrontation. Zhang’s remarks were notable not only for their candour but for what they revealed about the depth of the partnership between the two countries. He described the experience as “a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” underscoring that this was not a transactional relationship but one built on dedicated operational support.

The platform at the centre of this cooperation was the J-10CE aircraft, China’s export-grade 4.5-generation fighter equipped with AESA radar and long-range PL-15 missiles, considered one of China's most advanced air-to-air weapons. Pakistan, its only foreign operator, has integrated the aircraft into a broader Chinese-origin ecosystem that includes the multirole JF-17 aircraft. The J-10CE is largely believed to have downed an Indian Rafale jet on the first night of the operation, a fact tacitly accepted by Indian officials. Indian military officials have also blamed their lack of intelligence about the actual range of PL-15 missiles for their losses in Indian airspace. India may have retaliated thereafter by hitting deeper and harder, using the BrahMos missiles, but the losses of the first night carry both operational and symbolic weight, because they challenged an existing assumption that Western-origin platforms would maintain superiority in South Asian skies.

What is more consequential, however, is what comes next. Pakistan could take delivery of an initial batch of J-35 stealth fighter jet by the end of this year, following the airing of a video by Chinese state television in early May that showed the first fully operational export version of the aircraft. If inducted on schedule, Pakistan would gain a qualitative edge in stealth capabilities that India currently lacks altogether.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Friday

China is exporting its factories

https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/china-is-exporting-its-factories...


Faced with higher Western tariffs and weak demand at home, many Chinese factories are moving abroad, making everything from appliances to automobiles everywhere from North and South America to Eastern Europe.

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Gotion, a Chinese battery maker, planned to build a $2.4 billion plant in Michigan, but the project is at a standstill after years of local opposition over the company’s Chinese roots. Another Chinese battery maker, CATL, has had to settle for licensing its technology to companies such as Ford, which is building a $3 billion plant in Michigan to make CATL-designed batteries.

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In Brazil and Hungary, electric-vehicle seller BYD has been dogged by complaints that Chinese migrant workers hired to build its factories were subject to labor rights violations, including what Brazilian authorities called slavery-like conditions. Some European Union officials fear BYD’s new plant in Hungary could undermine carmakers across the continent, threatening an industry that accounts for 7% of EU economic output and 13 million jobs.

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In Mexico, Chinese investment in industries such as the automobile sector generated more than 100,000 jobs from 2020 to 2023, according to one analysis.

“What we need is more Chinese foreign direct investments in Europe, in some key sectors, to contribute to our growth, to transfer some technologies and not just to export toward Europe,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at the World Economic Forum this year.

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A number of Chinese carmakers are in discussions with European rivals about using their factories to build vehicles locally for the European market. Jeep maker Stellantis this month said it planned to build EVs with two separate Chinese companies in Spain and France. Ford and Geely are in discussions about a potentially similar deal in Spain, and have also discussed whether the collaboration might extend to the U.S.

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Electrolux, which makes Frigidaire brand refrigerators, has lost market share in the home appliance industry over time to Chinese firms. Its recently announced joint venture with Midea is designed to help shore up its North American business, by using Midea’s manufacturing know-how to try to gain share in the higher-margin laundry category and improve the cost-competitiveness of its refrigeration products.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Friday

Are China and Pakistan Rebranding CPEC Through B2B Conferences?
Unlike Chinese investments in the past, which were state-backed and focused on infrastructure, the B2B model is more commercial and a business-driven partnership.
Mariyam Suleman Anees
By Mariyam Suleman Anees
May 29, 2026

https://thediplomat.com/2026/05/are-china-and-pakistan-rebranding-c...

On May 24, Pakistani and Chinese officials, business leaders and investors gathered in Hangzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province, for the Pakistan-China B2B (Business-to-Business) Investment Conference. More than 500 leading enterprises from both countries attended the event, where Islamabad and Beijing signed several new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs).

The Pakistan-China B2B investment conferences are a series of meetings between the two countries to enhance strategic and economic ties through tech and other sector-specific partnerships. The first conference was held in Shenzhen in June 2024, which resulted in several commercial agreements. Over 600 Chinese companies participated in the second conference in September 2025, when the two countries signed 21 joint agreements and 148 MoUs, and bilateral accords worth $8.5 billion across many sectors.

The most recent conference, the third in the series, was focused on technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunication, agriculture, fintech, and energy storage. Pakistani officials touted the engagements as a new phase of economic cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

For Islamabad, already on a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and struggling with unrelenting economic and political instability, the promise of new investments and economic partnerships offers some hope of relief from financial pressures, especially at a time when trade disruptions and high energy costs due to the U.S.-Iran conflict have worsened the economic condition of the country.

However, Islamabad’s continuous reliance on Chinese investment, which the Pakistani officials call “economic diplomacy,” is often criticized as “debt trap diplomacy.” Many question the long-term economic implications of the investments, mainly because there is very limited clarity on how much of this financing constitutes loans, direct investments or other forms of financial assistance.

For example, CPEC, which was initially projected to involve projects worth $45.6 billion, has already surpassed an estimated $62 billion. There is little transparency on how these projects are being funded, the kind of loans that Pakistan is accumulating, and the extent and timeline of repayment obligations.

Regardless, can rebranding CPEC and the new investments and partnerships through B2B conferences actually make any economic impact in the country?

For an economy struggling with debt, political instability and repeated security challenges, any new foreign investment opportunity is welcome as a way to keep the economy afloat. Even as Chinese officials and companies frequently criticizeIslamabad for project delays, security risks, especially in the Balochistan province, and although CPEC may have lost most of the momentum it once had, both Islamabad and Beijing remain unwilling to let the initiative lose relevance any time soon.

For Pakistan, the major incentive is the inflow of Chinese investment, and for China, beyond economics, CPEC is of long-term strategic importance. Because of Gwadar Port’s geographic position and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, having a foothold in the region through CPEC remains important for China.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has also positioned itself as a mediator in the U.S.-Iran conflict. For Pakistan, such diplomacy is important not only geopolitically but also to further its economic interests, as maintaining strategic relevance in the region may help Islamabad secure continued economic and political support from China as well as from Gulf countries.

Comment by Riaz Haq 4 hours ago

Hegseth Says US Developing a ‘True Friendship’ With Pakistan - Bloomberg

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-30/hegseth-says-us-...

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said “true friendship” is growing between Washington and Pakistan as Islamabad helps to negotiate an end to the war in Iran.

Speaking at an Asian defense summit in Singapore, Hegseth singled out Pakistan’s army chief and prime minister for praise for their role in the peace negotiations. 

“An unexpected development and a true friendship” has been developing, Hegseth said. That was reflected in President Donald Trump’s ability to broker peace between India and Pakistan during their conflict last year, he added.

 

In the year since that conflict, the US has fostered closer ties with Pakistan, especially its powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, while relations with India have seemingly deteriorated. New Delhi has consistently rejected Trump’s claims that he brokered the ceasefire between the two South Asian neighbors, who came close to all-out war in May 2025.

 

In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue Saturday, Hegseth highlighted India as a “critical anchor” in South Asia for regional balance. India is modernizing its military to “carry its share of the security burden, particularly in the Indian Ocean,” he said. The US is committed to co-producing weapons with India, he said.

Hegseth’s comments about Pakistan was in response to a question about India’s long-range missile capability. The defense secretary said both India and Pakistan are likely to see threats coming from each other, and would want to develop missiles systems.

Comment by Riaz Haq 2 hours ago

@ZardSi

⚡🇵🇰🇨🇳
Chinese Professor Victor Gao says CPEC 2.0 between Pakistan and China is “the largest single project in the world.”

“This CPEC project is largest single project of the world Pakistan’s central role in global economics and could help lift millions of people out of poverty.

https://x.com/zardsi/status/2061146603054883215?s=46&t=Uy6jyUH6...

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