China & Middle East

March 31, 2026

Newspaper, Opinions, Editorials

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As the war rages in the Persian Gulf, Pakistan has moved with notable urgency to lower the temperature. Following the high-level meeting of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Egypt and Pakistan, the country’s senior leadership has quickly pivoted to Beijing in search of a broader pathway forward. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi marks a clear escalation of Pakistan’s mediation effort, linking a regional diplomatic alignment with the involvement of a global power capable of underwriting outcomes.

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This sequencing reflects a deliberate strategy. By first aligning key Muslim middle powers and then engaging China, Pakistan is attempting to construct both political legitimacy and strategic weight behind any prospective settlement. It is a recognition that durable security arrangements in the region cannot rely solely on actors whose past conduct has eroded trust. Negotiations that fail to hold, or pauses that are used tactically rather than sincerely, have only deepened instability.

The entry of China into this equation introduces a different set of incentives. Beijing has already emerged as an economic beneficiary of the crisis, particularly through shifts in trade flows and currency arrangements linked to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, with Russia constrained by its ongoing war in Ukraine, the space for China to assert a more active diplomatic role in the Middle East has widened considerably.

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Pakistan’s position within this evolving landscape is distinctive. Its long-standing strategic partnership with China, often described as an iron-clad relationship, combined with its deep ties across the Arab world, allows it to function as a credible intermediary. This dual access provides Islamabad with an opportunity to translate alignment into influence.

Any meaningful path to de-escalation will likely require a recalibration of external involvement in the region, with greater weight given to regional stakeholders and new guarantors. Pakistan’s current approach suggests an intent to shape that transition rather than simply react to it. The test now lies in whether this diplomatic momentum can be sustained and converted into a framework that holds.

No Peace

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