Executive Summary
This report analyzes the deepening military-strategic collusion between China and Pakistan, examining their joint capabilities, functions, and implications for India. It covers cooperation across land, air, naval, cyber, space, and ISR domains, highlighting the evolving threat landscape for India. The collaboration extends to defense industrial cooperation, intelligence sharing, and grey zone operations.
Why It Matters
This document is crucial for defense analysts as it details the growing military-strategic alignment between China and Pakistan, presenting a comprehensive assessment of the two-front threat India faces and its implications for regional stability.
Key Takeaways
- China and Pakistan are enhancing military interoperability through joint exercises, including ground warfare, air combat, and naval drills, indicating preparation for complex, large-scale war games.
Source evidence · PDF page 12
The PA–PLAA Warrior exercises may serve as a preparatory phase for more complex and large-scale military war games in the future. If this were to occur in the coming years, it would complement the PLAA’s independent rapid deployment and mobilisation exercises and the advanced Shaheen air combat exercises conducted between the PLAAF and PAF.
- The China-Pakistan naval nexus, combined with Pakistan's A2/AD strategy, complicates India's ability to exert sea control in the Indian Ocean, necessitating India's accelerated naval modernization and strategic partnerships.
Source evidence · PDF page 25
When operating in conjunction, the China-Pakistan naval nexus would only reinforce these adverse dynamics. The Indian response has involved a combination of accelerated naval modernisation, vigorous military diplomacy with the smaller Indian Ocean Island states, receptivity to US naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and the buildup of multilateral institutions.
- India faces a compressed and networked two-front threat environment due to advancing China-Pakistan military capabilities, requiring significant capability development and doctrinal adaptation.
Source evidence · PDF page 42
For India, this translates to a more compressed threat environment, where capabilities across two fronts are not only advancing but also increasingly networked. Managing this dynamic will require capability development, doctrinal adaptation, and a clearer understanding of how dependence and leverage operate within the China-Pakistan military nexus.
Strategic Relevance
The report highlights the strategic implications of the China-Pakistan military axis, which aims to constrain India's strategic options and create a multi-domain challenge. This collaboration impacts regional power balances, deterrence stability, and the potential for two-front conflicts, necessitating a robust and adaptive Indian defense posture.