Pakistan is struggling to contain COVID-19 due to a lack of resources and its flawed government systems. But rather than facing the blame of starting the pandemic, China will emerge as a benefactor and ally, in the minds of the Pakistani public.

India and China’s nuclear deterrence allows both countries to undertake bilateral problem solving without fear of conflict escalation, while the United States and China can simultaneously work to reduce overall global nuclear risks.

China is stuck between a rock and a hard place – as the trilateral dispute over Kashmir continues, China may have difficulty managing the strong economic partnership it has with Pakistan as it tries to build a new alliance with India.

An Indo-Pakistan conflict was prevented from turning into full blown war by China and other countries. However, the threat for future conflict between both countries lingers on.

Newly-appointed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has two realistic options: to further inflate the country’s Chinese debt, or to look to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout for the 15th time since the 1980s. Both options have serious drawbacks.

Pakistan now has a new government. But will this change Pakistan’s relationship with one of its closest allies - China?

As Pakistan’s new prime minister takes the reins of power, he will be forced to adapt to his country’s shifting relationships with two world powers: China and the United States.

Rather than helping Pakistan’s economy, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is creating a debt trap for Pakistan which will result in Pakistan’s continued economic dependence on China.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $62 billion China-funded ‘flagship project’ within China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is fast heading towards the closure of deals on ‘early harvest’ projects. With five energy projects commissioned and several more on course, these should help lift Pakistan’s economic output.

More often than not, the start of the new year is marked with a sense of hope and renewal, a chance to learn from the previous year’s trials and transgressions, a chance of getting things right the next time around. However, if the world has learned anything during the last year that the Trump Administration has been in power, it is that hope, renewal, and learning from past mistakes seem to be far from the top of the administration’s New Year’s resolution list.