Overview

• On August 1, the Pakistan Army hosted the PLA’s 98th anniversary at GHQ Rawalpindi to underscore institutional military integration with Beijing
• Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong served as chief guest, highlighting the growing strategic bond between the PLA and Pakistan Army
• Army Chief Asim Munir hailed the bilateral friendship as “unique, time-tested and exceptionally resilient,” reflecting heightened defence diplomacy
• Intelligence assessments report that Islamabad continues to secure financial, military and technological assistance from both China and the United States
• Pakistan balances controlled crackdowns on insurgent groups to satisfy China with selective counterterror operations for US partners while covertly managing proxy networks in Afghanistan, Kashmir and Balochistan