I had the opportunity to share my views on China–US relations and how Pakistan navigates its complexities at a roundtable hosted by the Centre for Policy Research, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore. The event brought together scholars from the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS), providing a timely forum to reflect on Pakistan’s evolving role in China–US relations. Pakistan has historically functioned as a facilitating actor in great-power politics, most notably during the China–US rapprochement of the early 1970s. In July 1971, US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger travelled secretly to Beijing via Pakistan after consultations in Islamabad. This initiative culminated in President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in February 1972 and his meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong. At a time when Washington and Beijing were ideologically opposed and lacked diplomatic relations, Pakistan played a decisive intermediary role.

Since 1978, however, the nature of China–US relations has changed substantially following China’s policy of reform and opening up. China gradually integrated into the global economy and expanded commercial, scientific, and diplomatic ties with the Western world, including the United States. Economic interdependence became a defining feature of bilateral relations. After the 9/11 attacks, both China and the United States also appeared broadly aligned on counterterrorism, particularly about stability in Afghanistan. Pakistan emerged as a key country with which both Washington and Beijing closely engaged in counterterrorism efforts, and Islamabad effectively served as a diplomatic bridge, facilitating cooperation, coordination, and communication........

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