Pakistan and China frequently refer to themselves as “iron brothers” and the relationship is an important building block in China’s bulwarks against the U.S. and India.
Central to this relationship is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key Belt and Road Initiative project. It plays an important role in securing China’s trade access by providing a route to the Arabian Sea via the Pakistani port of Gwadar, which would avoid the Straits of Malacca, a choke point that could be blocked in case of a conflict with the United States.