China’s Military Cooperation with Iran and Pakistan: A Comparative Study

The main objective of this article is to study the status Iran and Pakistan occupy in Chinese military cooperation arrangements and the imprints these relations leave on the foreign policy orientations of China in light of the strategic power equations. Examining the trend of China’s military relations with regional powers within the last few years, particularly subsequent to activation of China’s foreign policy in South and West Asia, I seek to answer these primary questions related to the two countries of Pakistan and Iran, which have priority in Chinese military strategy. I also address the consequences of Iran and Pakistan’s military cooperation with China in regional and inter-regional power equations. I contend that China’s military relations with Pakistan have been on the rise to the level of strategic cooperation or even alliance, while Iran has lagged behind in ascending to such levels. The data provided by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute are used extensively in this research besides some other archival data.