Navigating the Emerging US-China Power Balance

The world after the Cold War, once led by the United States (US), is shifting to a more intricate global system driven by rising competition between Washington and Beijing. As the US reconsiders the future of its ‘rules-based international order’ and views China as a competitor, the latter is pushing its own idea of shared growth and global partnerships through projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This rivalry is unfolding across military, economic and tech fields, while smaller nations, uncomfortable with Western hegemony, are building new alliances. The outcome is a changing and unpredictable world order where fewer diplomatic links and shifting loyalties increase the chance of US-China friction, impacting regional and international stability and order. Pakistan finds itself in a tricky spot between its strong bonds with China and the US that is building a closer relationship with India. As Washington and New Delhi get friendlier and Beijing strengthens its strategic ties with Islamabad, Pakistan's decisions will be crucial in shaping not just its own path but also the stability of South Asia. Against this backdrop of evolving global and regional power dynamics, we convened leading foreign policy thinkers for our written symposium, ‘Navigating the Emerging US-China Power Balance: Implications and Pathways for Pakistan.’ They included Pakistan’s former foreign secretary and current director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) Sohail Mahmood, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US, China and United Nations (UN) and former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan and Pakistan’s former ambassador and permanent representative to the UN and other international organizations Zamir Akram. What follows are the questions we asked and the in‑depth perspectives they shared.