THE KASHMIR CONFLICT: HOW THE INDIA-PAKISTAN TERRITORIAL DISPUTE SHAPES CHINA’S REGIONAL SECURITY

Abstract

This article analyses the international relations dimensions of the Kashmir conflict, particularly looking at how the war between India and Pakistan regarding the territory affects China’s security interests in the region. Historically considered a bilateral problem, the conflict has turned into a trilateral security problem with China joining the mix because it has fundamental interests in the area due to its annexation of Aksai Chin, investments in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and its collusive relationship with Pakistan. Through classical realism, the article attempts to illustrate how China’s national interest, in terms of power, security, and strategic advantage, increasingly engages South Asia. The study points out that any change in the Kashmir status quo, especially India’s 2019 removal of Article 370, poses severe risks for China's territorial claim and economic corridor, which results in diplomatic and military opposition. Furthermore, the conflict’s proximity to China’s volatile Xinjiang province increases the risk of terrorist blowback and forces the issue of external instability to be viewed through the prism of internal security. The article argues that China has multiplied its roles and is deeply engaged in the Kashmir conflict, and requires their regional security considerations for any approach aimed at conflict resolution.