By: Fazal-ur-Rahman.
In the post-9/11 regional environment, Pakistan has been confronted with a number of challenges of various magnitudes, threatening state sovereignty, territorial integrity and politico-economic progress. The fact that Pakistan-China strategic relations have not only withstood all the challenges stemming from the constantly changing geo-political environment but have been persistently developing, testifies to the strength of their ties. In recent years, there has been a progressive trend in developing bilateral strategic relations between the two countries in the traditional areas of cooperation such as political, economic and defence. However, there are some areas such as anti-terrorism, Afghanistan and energy security which would require more strategic coordination and cooperation between Pakistan and Chine in the future. For Pakistan, its relationship with China is the cornerstone of its foreign policy, while China‟s relations with Pakistan are part of its overall South Asia policy (with special emphasis on Pakistan) which still is undergoing a process of development.