THE US FACTOR IN SINO-PAKISTAN RELATIONS (2013-2024): A STRATEGIC TRIANGLE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper focuses on the influence of the United States in 2013-2024 to shape Sino-Pakistan relations through the prism of Strategic Triangle Theory (STT). With the growing US-China rivalry reshaping world and regional power balance, Pakistan became a pivotal state, caught in the crossfire between competing great powers. The research examines the impact of the US policies, especially the ones regarding the rise of China, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the regional security systems in shaping the future of China-Pakistan economic, military and diplomatic cooperation. The study is based on the use of a qualitative research methodology which involves the analysis of documents and policies of official statements, national security strategies and secondary scholarly sources of the selected period. The results indicate that instead of undermining the Sino-Pakistan relationships, the US strategic pressure and containment-oriented policy indirectly strengthened bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan, particularly within the framework of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistan, however, also took a delicate balancing policy so as not to align itself fully with either of the two powers. The study, based on the strategic triangle theory, contributes to a subtle understanding of the middle-state behaviour in the face of great-power competition and provide policy-relevant information on the foreign policy of Pakistan in an era of increasing geopolitical rivalry.