China may have only a “limited” role to play amid the escalating India-Pakistan stand-off, as it faces the challenge of balancing itself between the two South Asian neighbours, according to Chinese experts.
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Still, they expect Beijing to help avoid a full-blown confrontation on its doorstep and to safeguard its overseas interests in the region.
Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad dramatically soured after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last Tuesday that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
The tit-for-tat reprisals that followed once again moved the nuclear-armed rivals closer to war as they exchanged gunfire along the de facto border, traded diplomatic barbs, revoked visas for each other’s nationals, and downgraded diplomatic and trade ties.
China has recently taken steps to reset its ties with India after years of Himalayan border tensions, the suspension of direct flights and mutual visa restrictions, against the backdrop of rising geopolitical pressure from the Donald Trump administration.
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Meanwhile, China has been Pakistan’s “ironclad” friend for decades, and an “all-weather” partner since 2015, raising questions about whether Beijing would try to walk a fine line between the two countries or step in as a mediator during the current crisis.
