The newly appointed Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir has visited China with the objective of expanding cooperation for defence. There is no denying that this will be crucial in the face of new geo-strategic developments and with such close allies, the collaborative possibilities are endless. Our objective should be to schedule these as frequently as possible, and explore the opportunities that lie within security and defense.
The new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was appointed on November 29 and he assumed charge during a time of severe political crisis. The internal political situation in Pakistan has only gotten worse since then, redirecting the attention of all state institutions towards handling the conflict and exploring what might become of the country next. At the same time, China witnessed a fair share of change within its borders as well. President Xi Xinping began his third term in office, supported by a new prime minister, defence and foreign ministers. It was in this transitioning stage that matters of defence and military became secondary and visits by key military personnel were limited.
Despite this however, it is not as though both countries have not been engaging with one another on matters of the army. Just recently, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted Chinese J-10C fighter jets into service. It further commissioned upgraded and advanced versions of the JF-17 jet as well, and now is looking at potential drones for induction into service. In fact, Chinese support has enabled Pakistan to manufacture its own jet in previous years—including the JF-17B Thunder—opening up a new host of possibilities for the future.
Keeping in mind that our region is already prone to conflict, with the Afghan Taliban on one end and land-hungry India on the other, military partnerships with our closest allies would have immense benefits. Our aim should be to enhance this collaboration to include more agreements and trade partnerships so that we can display strong resistance, should the need arise.