AN APPRAISAL OF SINO-PAK STRATEGIC AND ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP IN NEW SECURITY PARADIGM: PROSPECTS & CHALLENGES

Abstract

International security environment is characterized by the element of continuous change. With the dawn of 21st Century South Asia is becoming more and more relevant to the changing dynamics of world politics. Firstly, when the incidents of 9/11 jolted international politics and security. Secondly, the political and economic rise of China increased Indo-US geopolitical concerns within and outside the region. And now US withdrawal from Afghanistan contains several political and security considerations for the region. Sino-Pak historical collaboration is dated back to seven decades of close relations and India has been an important factor for this engagement as a collective target of both states to mutually handle the regional and global challenges posed by India. US exit from Afghanistan without concluding any agreement with Taliban, growing Indo-US strategic axis and their mutual opposition on Sino-Pak close alliance and also on SinoPak economic and infrastructural projects are raising attention for future counterbalance strategy of both Pakistan and China