On July 26, 2025, Field Marshal Asim Munir, the in-charge of the Pakistan Army, shocked everyone by canceling his trips to Sri Lanka and Indonesia and rushing to Beijing instead. India and the US both stand very interested in this. As tensions rise in the area and the economy gets worse, this shows that Pakistan is becoming more dependent on China.
Before the trip, Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. This shows Islamabad desperately wanting to keep the balance of power between the world’s major powers while also stopping India’s growing power in South Asia.
CPEC implications and Chinese doubts
Beijing was very worried about the safety of Chinese people and projects, especially those in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Munir. The Baloch Liberation Army and other groups have attacked China recently, which has made it even angrier.
Wang told Munir to make the Chinese workers and Belt and Road projects safer. Pakistan seeks to keep its strategic partnership with China strong while also keeping people in Pakistan from getting too angry with China.
Worries for India?
India is worried about Pakistan’s military diplomacy and sees this as a way to strengthen the China-Pakistan axis against India’s growing power in the world.The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, through MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh, has asked why the U.S. backs Pakistan’s military. This means that India is paying more attention to security issues in the area.
Looking to keep Indian hold in check?
Experts say that Munir’s trip is part of a bigger plan to deal with India’s diplomatic wins in the Global South, where New Delhi has built strong economic and military ties. Pakistan’s unstable politics and poor economy make it less trustworthy and more dependent on Chinese military and financial help. Washington is now wondering if it’s worth it to keep working with Islamabad, especially since relations between the U.S. and India are getting better.
India doesn’t like Munir going to China because it could lead to more proxy wars, especially in Kashmir, where tensions have been rising since the Pahalgam incident in April 2025. Pakistan’s ties with China will once again cause competition in the region, and India will respond by strengthening its ties with other countries. China uses Pakistan to keep India’s power in check, but the geopolitical chessboard in South Asia is still shaky, and the big countries are watching closely to see what happens next.
