Jagannath Panda was quoted by the South China Morning Post on the new Saudi-Pakistan pact signaling evolving alliances amid US-China tension
September 21, 2025: Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, was quoted by the South China Morning Post on the new Saudi-Pakistan pact signaling evolving alliances amid US-China tension.
“If Riyadh leans more on Pakistani manpower and deterrence, China’s quiet security role – training, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], policing tech — could face new sensitivities, especially if crises invoke the treaty’s mutual defence language,” says Jagannath Panda.