The 2025 China Military Power Report (CMPR), officially titled the Annual Report to Congress on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China, was released by the US Department of Defence in late December 2025, reported The Week.

This 25th edition assesses the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) trajectory towards becoming a world-class military by 2049, highlighting its expanding global ambitions, including the pursuit of overseas basing to project power along critical sea lines of communication. Pakistan and Bangladesh emerge as key locations of interest for the PLA in this context, reflecting deepening Sino-Pakistani military ties and China's strategic outreach in South Asia.

The report explicitly states that China seeks to establish a global logistics and basing network, encompassing full bases with garrisoned forces, shared host-nation facilities, or ad-hoc commercial access.

Among 21 potential sites considered—spanning Angola, Burma, Cuba, and others—Pakistan and Bangladesh are listed alongside nations near vital chokepoints like the Malacca Strait and Strait of Hormuz. The PLA's focus on these areas underscores its intent to sustain operations at greater distances, with host-nation agreements dictating the facilities' scope and purpose.

Pakistan features prominently in the CMPR, mentioned seven times across four topics, as a staunch Beijing ally and primary recipient of Chinese arms. Between 2020 and 2024, China supplied 81 per cent of Pakistan's arms imports, a trend the report expects to persist.

Islamabad's interest in advanced platforms, including China's sixth-generation fighters, further cements this partnership, positioning Pakistan as a linchpin in China's regional influence.

On fixed-wing aircraft, the report details China's export of the J-10C multirole fighter, with Pakistan as its sole customer to date. As of May 2025, Beijing delivered 20 of 36 ordered J-10C jets in two tranches since 2020, with the remainder slated for delivery by year's end to complete the Pakistan Air Force's first squadron. China also supplies JF-17 light combat aircraft via co-production and strike UAVs like Caihong and Wing Loong to Pakistan, enhancing its multirole capabilities.

Naval ties receive attention too, with Pakistan among China's growing export customers alongside Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand. Historical sales include four frigates to Pakistan in 2018 and two to Bangladesh in 2017, with projections for expanded markets over the next five years.

Recent developments, such as Pakistan's impending acquisition of eight Chinese Hangor-class submarines, align with this pattern, bolstering Islamabad's underwater projection.

Space cooperation forms another pillar, as China signed nearly 200 intergovernmental agreements by December 2024, including with Pakistan for the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Entities from Pakistan joined alongside the UAE, Switzerland, and others, countering US leadership while advancing lunar exploration and satellite technologies. This multifaceted engagement amplifies China's soft power in developing nations like Pakistan.

The CMPR frames these developments within Beijing's broader goal of displacing US primacy, labelling the PLA a core enabler. For India, proximate basing pursuits in Pakistan (notably Gwadar) and Bangladesh raise alarms over encirclement risks, especially amid ongoing border tensions and PLA Navy growth. No formal PLA garrisons exist yet in these nations, but commercial footholds like Gwadar signal incremental expansion.

Strategic implications extend to regional balances, with Sino-Pakistani arms flows—J-10C deliveries timed before mid-2025 events like Operation Sindoor—potentially tilting dynamics against India. Bangladesh's inclusion hints at hedging bets post-political shifts, though its frigate buys predate recent turmoil. The report urges vigilance on China's logistics build-up, which could facilitate rapid PLA deployments in crises.

The CMPR portrays Islamabad-Beijing ties as robust and multifaceted, from hardware transfers to basing aspirations, driven by mutual interests in countering shared adversaries. Full details are accessible in the declassified PDF, underscoring Congress-mandated scrutiny of PLA developments. These insights inform US policy, allies like India, and global stakeholders tracking China's military modernisation.

Agencies

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