May 15, 2026 17:38 pm IST

Blog | Yahya Khan To Munir, The Curious Pak Factor In Every US-China Thaw

History suggests that whenever Washington looks toward Beijing during moments of global upheaval, Islamabad finds a way back into the game.

Divyam Sharma Divyam Sharma Senior Sub Editor

Divyam Sharma Senior Sub Editor

After nine years, US President Donald Trump was in China for a state visit to meet President Xi Jinping, whom he called a "great leader", marking a dramatic shift in the choice of words he generally uses for China and its President. The shift may be driven by several factors: the conflict in the Gulf, the concurrent ascent of India and decline of Europe, a widespread energy crisis, the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, and the presence of an unpredictable American President.

The outreach, however, has also brought to mind an old geopolitical pattern: whenever Washington seeks strategic space with Beijing, Pakistan suddenly regains relevance. 

The events leading to Trump's visit to China and the growing Pakistan-US ties call for comparisons with 1970. Surely, in 56 years, the global political landscape has flipped 180 degrees.

The Sino-Soviet split in 1961 marked a turning point in US-China relations, and US President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were quick to grab the opportunity; however, the problem was how to start talks. In the fall of 1970, Pakistan's military dictator General Yahya Khan agreed to act as a secret mediator between China and the US, helping Kissinger arrange a secret trip to Beijing in July 1971 in return for military aid and turning a blind eye to the genocide in East Pakistan by the army. According to an unclassified report from the US State Department and Department of Defence, the US made an exception in October 1970 to an arms embargo placed on India and Pakistan after 1965. The US "offered to sell armoured personnel carriers, and some aircraft in response to long-standing requests from Pakistan".

The US exemption for Pakistan happened around the time when........

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