China–Pakistan Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cooperation: Changing Dynamics of State & Private Sector Partnerships

Introduction

The new year opened with evidence of China’s expanding technological reach. A top Chinese aerospace company, PIESAT, showcased advanced satellite and drone-related technologies, including remote-sensing applications at the AI Rise Expo in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, engaging directly with Pakistan’s space agency, SUPARCO. What appeared to be an ordinary technology exhibition, in fact, signaled a deeper strategic moment in the evolving convergence of China-Pakistan cooperation in space, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced technologies.

The U.S. Artificial Intelligence Commission Report has captured this race incisively. The report declares, “AI is expanding the window of vulnerability the U.S. has already entered. For the first time since World War II, America’s technological dominance, the backbone of its economic and military power, is under threat. China possesses the might, talent and ambition to surpass the United States as the world’s leader in AI if the current trends do not change. AI technologies will be a source of enormous power for the companies and countries that harness them.” The “window of vulnerability” appears real as China has become a strategic player and is seeking to integrate deeply with partner countries, as technologies are now embedded in almost every aspect of life, making the technology sector intrinsically global. The U.S. and China offer two different models of AI technology, but the broader principles appear to be similar. Silicon Valley and Shenzhen symbolize these models. There is one fundamental difference: the U.S. is striving to deny China’s technological rise and prefers supremacy, while China aims for integration and connectivity. The U.S. National Security Strategy 2025 aims to close the “window of vulnerability” and contends that it must “remain the world’s most scientifically and technologically advanced and innovative country… [and] maintain unrivaled ‘soft power’ through which we exercise positive influence throughout the world that furthers our interests.” On the other hand, the Communique of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China calls for “boosting full integration between technological and industrial innovation,” expanding domestic demand, “opening China wider… and pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,” signaling a twin strategy of self-reliance and global outreach. Its recommendations to “accelerate agricultural and rural modernization,” “narrow the rural-urban gap,” and promote cultural and economic integration, reflect the Party’s view that modernization must be nationally cohesive. Regionally, the Plan’s support for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aligns domestic upgrading with multilateral connectivity, trade, education, and cultural exchange. Against this backdrop, this discussion paper examines the evolving trajectory of China-Pakistan cooperation in technology and AI, having two dimensions: strategic and operational. Strategically, it is anchored in three domains - land, water, and space. Operationally, it manifests through infrastructure connectivity, maritime and underwater security, and cyberspace.

Technology is the core of a globalized China. The China-World Exposure Index reveals technology to be one of the key dimensions along which the world’s exposure to China has generally increased. The technology flows between China and the world have increased significantly.

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