Hi readers!
One of the generations old quotes of Benjamin Franklin: a walking encyclopedia of America is “A friend in need is a friend indeed” while an equally famous quote of Aristotal is “A friend to all is a friend to none”. You can very well imagine the two around us for ages but, a friendship isn’t about who you have known the longest, it is about the one who assessed your needs and say
“I am here for you and proved it”.
This is China and her friendship with Pakistan often referred to as “iron brotherhood”, with rich history marked by strategic alliances, economic cooperation, and mutual support. It began with Pakistan being the first Muslim nation to recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1950, followed by the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1951. Over the decades, our relationship has evolved, around military, economic, and diplomatic spheres, with significant milestones like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Placed below is the chronology Pakistan- China friendship
1950-1960s:
1950: Pakistan becomes the first Muslim nation to recognize the People’s Republic of China.
1951: Diplomatic relations established
1963: Pakistan and China reach a border agreement.
1965: China provides diplomatic support to Pakistan during the war with India.
1965-1970s: China becomes Pakistan’s primary arms supplier after the United States cuts off military aid.
1970s-1990s:
1970: Pakistan helps facilitate contacts between the United States and China.
1978: The Karakoram Highway, linking Pakistan and China, officially opens.
1980s: China and the United States cooperate through Pakistan to support Afghan guerrillas.
1986: China and Pakistan reach a comprehensive nuclear cooperation agreement.
1990s: The relationship evolves from “traditional friendship” to “comprehensive friendship”.
2000s-Present:
2003:The Joint Declaration on Direction of Bilateral Cooperation terms the relationship as “all-weather friendship”.
2005: The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighbourly Relations designates it as a “bilateral strategic partnership of good-Neighbourly friendship”.
2013:The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is launched, evaluating the relationship as a “China-Pakistan all-weather strategic cooperative partnership”.
2020s:The relationship continues to strengthen with increasing economic cooperation and CPEC projects.
Key Milestones:
Recognition and Diplomatic Ties: Pakistan’s early recognition of China established a foundation for their partnership,
Counterbalance to India: Pakistan viewed China as a counterweight to India’s influence,
Military and Technical Support: China provided Pakistan with significant military, technical, and economic assistance, including nuclear technology,
CPEC: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor represents a major economic and infrastructure initiative, further solidifying our partnership,
Shared Interests and Adversities: Both countries share a history of internal instability and external threats, fostering a sense of solidarity.
This is what is called PAK-China friendship: the crux and essence of which we have experienced in the month of May 2025th, for the first time in the most difficult situation that relates to the sovereignty of our country.
We experienced an amazing non-kin cooperation as well as “Cooperative assortativity” which is beneficial for supportive environment where cooperative strategies can thrive.
The result is a historical win over “a born to be enemy” with predestined antagonism associated with specific circumstances that seems to be beyond their control due to a natural disposition towards the conflict.
The reason of non-kin cooperation is not yet fully understood but reciprocity seems to be an integral part of this cooperation. The non-kin cooperation of resource is often based on the recipient’s level of need and reciprocal exchanges. This indicated that need-based sharing and not cooperative assortativity, is a key mechanism for resource transfers possibly due to the need for long-term reciprocity in a plunging ecosystem with high resource stochasticity: a system who’s outcome is not entirely predictable: a situation true to type of what currently is prevailing in our country.
Under the circumstances, our time-tested friend China openly stood with us: a gesture indicating that she will not allow anybody to play with the sovereignty of our country: a support that boosted our confidence which along with our inherent god gifted power helped us reaching matchless victory that stunned the entire world while our unusual, distinctive but arching enemy
will never forget this till the end of time.
It can be safely concluded at the end, the need-based sharing, rather than cooperative assortativity, is a significant factor in the evolution and maintenance of cooperative behavior with those facing scarcity of resources and uncertainty. Our all-weather friend realized this and helped us with the resources needed. That’s what it is called
“a friend in need is a friend indeed”.
See you next week. Take care, Bye.
