Secret of Bilateral and Multilateral Relations

International relations are not about friendship, morality, or emotions they are about interests. Nations build ties either bilaterally (between two states) or multilaterally (within a group of states), but the secret lies in what each side gains and how much autonomy they keep while giving space to others.

Bilateral Relations: The Pakistan–China Example

The bond between Pakistan and China shows the mechanics of bilateral ties. In theory, it is a partnership of “iron brothers,” but in reality, it is a deal of survival and strategy. Pakistan leans on China for military hardware, economic lifelines, and a shield at global forums. China, on the other hand, secures a bridge to the Arabian Sea, a counterweight to India, and influence in South Asia.

Yet, beneath the surface lies contradiction: Pakistan is capitalist, ruled by feudal elites and private ownership concentrated in a few families, while China claims to be communist, though in practice it tolerates billionaires and massive inequality. This ideological mismatch creates tension. China seeks strategic depth; Pakistan seeks rescue. Both compromise, but neither truly trusts the other.

Multilateral Relations: The Web of Compulsions

Multilateralism adds layers of complexity. After 9/11, Pakistan was forced into cooperation with the US-led coalition against terrorism. Aid poured in, but so did conditionalities. Later, as US attention waned, Pakistan tilted toward China and occasionally Russia. In forums like the UN or SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), Pakistan is not a decision-maker but a bargaining piece.

Multilateralism exposes the harsh truth: weaker states rarely set the agenda. They enter alliances to avoid isolation but often find themselves following the interests of stronger players.

The Secret

The real secret of both bilateral and multilateral relations is balance. Nations that tilt too much in one direction eventually find themselves at the mercy of their patron. History is full of such cautionary tales. During the Cold War, many countries became clients of either Washington or Moscow, only to discover later that their sovereignty was compromised.

Pakistan’s dilemma is a textbook example. On one hand, it faces the capitalist pull of the United States—a system that thrives on financial leverage, military aid, and conditional diplomacy. On the other, it navigates the strategic embrace of China, a state that calls itself communist but operates in a capitalist marketplace with extreme inequality. Pakistan’s feudal-capitalist system, dominated by a few ruling families and elites, prevents it from adopting a genuine socialist or communist model. Yet, its economic desperation—debt crises, dwindling foreign reserves, energy shortages—pushes it deeper into Beijing’s orbit.

Balance, however, is not simply about keeping equal distance. It is about choosing flexibility over dependency. A nation must extract benefits without being swallowed whole. Pakistan’s tilt toward China for CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects, for instance, has given it infrastructure, but it has also tied the economy to Chinese loans and conditions. Similarly, cooperation with the US in the war on terror brought aid but also humiliation when Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad. In both cases, Pakistan gained short-term survival but lost long-term autonomy.

The secret of survival, therefore, is not in running from one patron to another but in building internal strength so that partnerships remain optional rather than compulsory. Without economic independence, political stability, and institutional credibility, Pakistan risks being a pawn—sometimes of Washington, sometimes of Beijing, occasionally even of Riyadh.

Balance also demands honesty about ideological contradictions. How can Pakistan, a self-declared Islamic Republic with a feudal-capitalist structure, align itself with China, a state that suppresses religion and runs a one-party system? How can it simultaneously claim solidarity with the US, whose values of democracy and freedom clash with Pakistan’s own restrictions on speech, press, and dissent? These contradictions reveal that Pakistan’s foreign policy is not guided by ideology but by survivalist opportunism. That is why balance becomes even more essential.

The art of survival for states like Pakistan is not in blind loyalty whether bilateral or multilateral but in calculated autonomy. Foreign assistance and strategic partnerships may be necessary in difficult times, yet they should never come at the cost of sovereignty. A state that allows its national policies, territories, or institutions to be dictated by outsiders ceases to act as an independent actor in international affairs. Guarding sovereignty while still engaging with global powers is the delicate line that defines true diplomacy.

At the same time, survival in the modern world requires diversity in partnerships. Placing all hopes in a single ally, whether Washington or Beijing, is a dangerous gamble. The strength of diplomacy lies in keeping multiple doors open so that no single state can hold a monopoly over a country’s future. This is especially true for Pakistan, which has often been treated as a pawn by stronger powers and must learn to deal with many players without allowing itself to be consumed by any of them.

Most importantly, the reality of international relations must be faced without illusions. There are no brothers in geopolitics, only partners pursuing their own interests. The United States looked to Pakistan primarily for its role in Afghanistan; China looks to Pakistan for access to the Arabian Sea and as a counterweight to India. Once these goals are achieved or lose relevance, the tone of friendship inevitably changes. This is why Pakistan must recognize that no slogan or poetic expression of solidarity can replace hard national interests.

The road ahead, then, depends not on external handshakes but on internal reform. Without economic independence, institutional strength, and political credibility, every alliance will merely deepen dependency. If Pakistan continues to rely on others for survival, it will remain trapped in cycles of aid, debt, and compromise. But if it begins to build strength at home, every bilateral and multilateral engagement will transform into an opportunity rather than a burden.

The true secret of diplomacy is balance. It is not about choosing sides or becoming anyone’s client state it is about standing firm enough to engage with the world on equal terms. Anything less is simply dependency disguised as diplomacy.