As the world transitions toward a multipolar order, a silent but decisive realignment is reconfiguring global geopolitics. At the centre of this shift lies the increasingly assertive strategic convergence between China and Pakistan, now being actively reinforced through newly emerging alliances across the Middle East and Africa. This evolving axis is not just a regional concern, it is designed to challenge India’s rise in the Global South, undermine its influence in the Islamic world, dilute its defence export potential, and strategically encircle it through hybrid warfare, diplomatic exclusion, and maritime influence.

India must not ignore the magnitude of this transformation. These developments call for an urgent recalibration of foreign policy, deeper outreach to its extended neighbourhood, and stronger strategic presence in the Indian Ocean and West Asia.

Over the past decade, Pakistan has transformed into the primary combat-testing ground for Chinese defence technology. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), 81% of Pakistan’s total arms imports between 2020–2024 came from China. Unlike other Chinese clients, Pakistan is not merely a buyer, it is China’s live demonstration platform.

If India does not immediately accelerate its defence export diplomacy with credible demonstrations, technology transfer offers, and joint production models, it risks losing the........

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