China is moving to bolster its security presence in the Middle East through comprehensive partnerships, and the Pakistani-Chinese alliance serves as a bridge to elevate this partnership from an economic level (the Belt and Road Initiative) to a defense alliance level. This ensures the security of energy supplies and maritime routes (the Arabian Sea) connecting China to the Gulf. The Sino-Pakistani alliance, based on a deep-rooted defense partnership (China supplies Pakistan with 50% of its arms imports), is a potential cornerstone for the formation of a joint Gulf and Arab military force led by China. This alliance provides the Gulf with advanced technological arms alternatives, military expertise (Pakistan), and strategic protection (China) to counter regional challenges and the declining confidence in Western and, in particular, American protection for the Gulf states, thus strengthening Chinese influence in the region.
From my analytical perspective, the appointment of Pakistani General Asim Munir as Chief of Army Staff in 2023 was at the behest of, with the support and encouragement of, Beijing. Evidence supporting this hypothesis lies in the fact that less than six weeks after his appointment as head of the country’s powerful army and custodian of its nuclear weapons, General Munir traveled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 5, 2023, for talks with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud. On January 9, 2023, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates for talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and senior national security officials. Pakistani-Chinese relations were central to General Munir’s discussions during his visits to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Emirati and Saudi officials occasionally expressing skepticism about the reliability of American support. This was practically demonstrated earlier in 2021 when Washington’s anger escalated upon discovering that China was secretly constructing a military facility in the UAE. This prompted the US to rush negotiations with the UAE to finalize the Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel, fearing that the Beijing-Islamabad axis would gain Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Gulf states at the expense of their traditional relationship with Washington.
The Pakistani army plays a pivotal strategic role in bridging the military perspectives of China and the Gulf states, leveraging its close ties with Beijing and its historical defense partnerships with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Currently, there is no formal, unified joint military structure between Pakistan and the Gulf under Chinese leadership, but current developments suggest the establishment of an integrated security system in which Pakistan acts as a conduit for transferring Chinese expertise and technology to the region. Here, China places great importance on the role of the Pakistani army in facilitating interoperability between Chinese and Gulf military doctrines: The Pakistani army works to coordinate interoperability between Gulf and Chinese forces through multilateral military exercises: Pakistan conducts regular, intensive exercises with China, such as Shaheen and Sea Guardian, and others with Saudi Arabia, such as Al-Kasih. This allows Pakistan to develop military protocols that combine Eastern and Western training methods, facilitating their future integration into regional security structures. With intelligence sharing between China and Pakistan, Islamabad acts as an informal channel for exchanging security assessments regarding threats in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, which serves both Gulf energy security and Chinese interests.
The importance of the Chinese-Pakistani alliance in this context stems from several reasons, most notably advanced military and technological support. Pakistan relies heavily on China (approximately 70% of its defense imports between the two countries in 2019-2026), making China the primary source of drones, submarines, and advanced air defense systems that a joint force might require. Furthermore, the transfer of expertise and training: given the Pakistani army’s extensive experience in combat operations and training and its status as a strategic partner of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, its integration into a joint military structure led by Beijing would be facilitated. In addition, (Pakistan’s strategic and nuclear weight): China contributes to modernizing Pakistan’s defense capabilities, granting any potential alliance defensive depth and influence that balances other powers in the region, especially considering Pakistan’s partnerships with Turkey and China.
The most prominent roles of the Pakistani army in assisting China in forming a joint military structure with the Gulf states led by China in this context include facilitating the transfer and localization of Chinese military technology. Pakistan serves as the largest field-testing ground for Chinese weaponry and acts as a technical and operational intermediary for integrating these weapons into the arsenals of the Gulf states (by integrating Chinese combat systems into their defense ministries and armies). Here, Gulf countries, under the guidance of the Pakistani Air Force, have tested Chinese aircraft, such as the J-10C & JF-17.
These Chinese aircraft were tested in joint exercises with Gulf countries, such as the Zelzal-2 exercise with Qatar, to assess their effectiveness against Western systems, encouraging the Gulf states to acquire them. Furthermore, the Pakistani military’s role as a strategic alternative for China in the Gulf region, especially with the signing of the Joint Strategic Defense Agreement between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in 2025, has positioned China as a vital supplier of weapons, training, and joint production, offering an alternative to traditional suppliers.
Here, Chinese intelligence, military, defense, and security circles view this cooperation with Pakistan as an alternative to traditional alliances and as an urgent necessity for China to restore regional balance amidst tensions with Iran. As Gulf partners seek to diversify their defense partnerships away from the West, China’s military leadership in the region is emerging. China is moving to strengthen its security presence in the Middle East through comprehensive partnerships, and the Pakistani alliance represents the bridge to elevate this partnership from the economic level within the Belt and Road Initiative to the level of a defense alliance. This ensures the security of energy supplies and maritime routes through the Arabian Sea, which connect China to the Gulf.
In this context, Pakistan plays a pivotal role as a strategic ally and a key gateway for Chinese penetration into South Asia and the Indian Ocean. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a fundamental pillar of this endeavor. Here, Pakistan provides China with a direct sea outlet via the Pakistani port of Gwadar, reducing Beijing’s reliance on the Strait of Malacca, where it competes with the United States. Meanwhile, China strengthens its presence through extensive military, economic, and technological support to achieve shared geopolitical objectives, particularly balancing power with India. The most prominent aspect of Pakistan’s role in Chinese expansion is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The CPEC is the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, connecting western China to the Indian Ocean via Pakistan. It includes joint investments in infrastructure, energy, and transportation. Furthermore, the strategic role of the Pakistani port of Gwadar is crucial; located in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, Gwadar, financed and operated by the Chinese, is a key linchpin in China’s string of pearls maritime strategy, granting China a permanent naval presence in the Arabian Sea. China is therefore relying on Pakistan to secure the vital corridors of its Belt and Road Initiative, specifically the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
This corridor connects China with the Pakistani port of Gwadar, near the Iranian Strait of Hormuz. The Pakistani military provides military protection for the Chinese infrastructure of this economic corridor, which Gulf states are seeking to invest in to connect their ports with Central Asia and China. Furthermore, the Pakistani military facilitates China’s naval presence in the region and the Gulf. Pakistani-Gulf maritime cooperation allows Chinese naval forces access to the region to secure trade routes, thus laying the foundation for a joint maritime security structure under Beijing’s auspices, with military assistance from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
This is coupled with the existence and coordination of the China-Pakistan military and defense alliance, where Pakistan relies on China for over 70-80% of its arms imports, including fighter jets, submarines, and air defense systems. This makes Pakistan a testing ground for Chinese military technology and a counterweight to Indian superiority. Pakistan also provides reciprocal diplomatic support to China, strongly backing China’s policies on issues such as the one-China policy, Xinjiang, and Taiwan, while China defends Pakistan in international forums like the UN Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Furthermore, Pakistan serves as a bridge to the Islamic world for China, playing a role in enhancing China’s diplomatic and political influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. However, despite the economic benefits of the relationship, this penetration faces security challenges, such as attacks on Chinese workers in several Pakistani cities, perpetrated by internationally funded terrorist groups.
Finally, Pakistan plays a diplomatic and military mediating role for China. Historically, Pakistan has successfully acted as a bridge between China and the West, and today it is repeating this role between Beijing and Riyadh, aiming to reduce reliance on traditional allies. Pakistan supports the Gulf’s move towards diversifying security partnerships, promoting China as a balancing power that does not impose complex political conditions on arms deals and military cooperation. Furthermore, there is the potential for China to provide Pakistan with a nuclear umbrella. The defense partnership between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could pave the way for strategic nuclear cooperation in which China would play a technical role, thus strengthening the military weight of this emerging axis.
