China Backs Taliban, Breaks With Pakistan: A New Power Shift in South Asia

In a dramatic geopolitical twist, China has thrown its weight behind Afghanistan’s sovereignty amid escalating border clashes between Kabul and Islamabad — a diplomatic move that has stunned observers and left Pakistan’s leadership scrambling for answers.

For decades, Beijing and Islamabad have touted a relationship “deeper than the oceans, higher than the Himalayas, and sweeter than honey.” But China’s latest statement — affirming Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and implicitly condemning Pakistan’s recent airstrikes — signals a rare and public fracture in that alliance.

A Border on Fire

Tensions along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border have exploded into open conflict.
Early Wednesday morning, Taliban forces reportedly stormed several Pakistani military posts in the Spin Boldak sector, forcing soldiers to surrender within minutes. Eyewitness accounts and regional intelligence sources indicate that dozens of Pakistani troops fled under heavy fire as the Taliban seized weapons, vehicles, and key outposts.

Footage shared online shows jubilant Taliban fighters raising their flag over captured bunkers, scenes that have since gone viral across Afghan social media.

The Taliban government in Kabul said the attacks were a direct response to Pakistani airstrikes conducted earlier this week near Kandahar, which, according to Afghan officials, violated their airspace and killed several civilians.

“Afghanistan will defend every inch of its soil,” a Taliban spokesperson declared, warning Islamabad of “consequences for aggression.”

China Breaks Its Silence — and Sides with Kabul

Beijing’s decision to wade into the crisis has upended regional equations. After weeks of silence, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a carefully worded but unmistakable statement affirming that “China respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan” and opposing any “unilateral military actions” inside Afghan territory.

Diplomatic observers view this as a pointed rebuke to Pakistan. More strikingly, Chinese officials went further, saying Beijing “understands Afghanistan’s right to respond to acts of aggression.”

The implications were immediate. China — Pakistan’s closest strategic partner and economic benefactor through the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — had, for the first time in recent memory, publicly backed the Taliban over Islamabad.

“This is not just symbolic,” says a Beijing-based South Asia expert. “It’s a signal that China’s patience with Pakistan’s instability and double game on terrorism has reached its limit.”

Crisis in Islamabad: Panic and Political Fallout

Within hours of Beijing’s remarks, Pakistani officials launched frantic diplomatic outreach to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, seeking mediation. But regional responses were muted.

In Islamabad, the shock was palpable. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s fragile coalition government faces a domestic credibility crisis, while Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir — who has styled himself as Pakistan’s strongman — is under growing scrutiny from both civilians and within the ranks.

“This is the worst military humiliation since 1971,” said a former Pakistani diplomat. “Afghan fighters overrunning Pakistani posts while China looks the other way — that’s a nightmare scenario for Rawalpindi.”

Pakistani media, long constrained by military censorship, struggled to report the situation even as videos of surrendering soldiers and jubilant Taliban fighters flooded the internet.

The World Watches — and Worries

The United Nations issued a statement expressing “serious concern” over the intensifying clashes, warning that the situation could spiral into a regional crisis.
Western capitals, including Washington, have urged restraint. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting at a campaign event, said he was “watching the Pakistan–Afghanistan confrontation closely,” calling it “another flashpoint the world can’t afford.”

Meanwhile, China’s move has added a new layer of complexity to South Asia’s already volatile balance of power. With the Russia–China–Iran axis growing firmer and India expanding its influence in Kabul through quiet diplomatic and defense outreach, Islamabad finds itself cornered.

The End of the ‘Iron Brotherhood’?

China’s support for Afghanistan is more than just a foreign policy statement — it’s a political message wrapped in strategic calculation. Analysts believe Beijing is signaling that Pakistan’s internal chaos, cross-border militancy, and inconsistent foreign policy are jeopardizing regional stability — including Chinese investments in the CPEC and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects.

“China’s frustration with Pakistan has been building for years,” said Dr. Sameera Qureshi, a South Asia policy analyst. “Beijing expected stability and cooperation, but got factional politics, security lapses, and Taliban tensions instead.”

A Regional Turning Point

In Kabul, China’s statement has been greeted with cautious celebration. Across Afghanistan’s cities, citizens rallied in support of the Taliban’s defense of national sovereignty — a rare moment of unity for a country long fractured by conflict.

For Pakistan, the optics are devastating: an ally abandoned, an army humiliated, and a nation increasingly isolated.

As the guns roar along the Durand Line, one thing has become clear — the geopolitical map of South Asia is shifting. Beijing’s tilt toward Kabul marks not only a blow to Islamabad’s pride but perhaps the beginning of a new power alignment in the region, where old loyalties are fading and new realities are taking shape.