Pakistan more loyal to China than the dragon is to itself: Brahma Chellaney highlights curious case of Taiwan airline ban and a u-turn in 24 hours

Pakistan’s attempt to enforce Beijing’s position on Taiwan more strictly than China itself became the subject of a sharp geopolitical critique after Islamabad briefly barred Taiwanese airlines from using its airspace, only to reverse the decision a day later. Geopolitical commentator Brahma Chellaney highlighted the episode in a post on X titled “Pakistan Acts More Loyal to China Than China Does to Itself”.

The post pointed to what Chellaney described as a contradiction in Pakistan’s approach to the One China policy. Pakistani authorities had imposed the restriction in an apparent effort to demonstrate support for Beijing, but China reportedly expressed surprise at the move, prompting Islamabad to withdraw it within a day.

Chellaney noted that Chinese airspace is itself used by Taiwanese carriers, including China Airlines and EVA Air. He argued that international civil aviation operates through technical arrangements involving flight routes, efficiency and reciprocal overflight rights, making Pakistan’s brief restriction particularly striking.


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Pakistan’s China policy and the ‘iron brotherhood’

The commentator linked Islamabad’s response to its heavy reliance on China for strategic assistance and diplomatic backing, particularly when Pakistan faces international pressure or isolation. In his assessment, this dependence has encouraged Pakistan to demonstrate its loyalty to Beijing with greater intensity than China demands.

He contrasted the two countries’ approaches to the partnership. China, he argued, views its relationship with Pakistan through the wider calculations of statecraft and regional strategy, including its efforts to balance India. Pakistan, meanwhile, treats the alliance as an existential relationship and routinely describes it as an “all-weather strategic partnership” and “iron brotherhood”.

Pakistani leaders and officials have frequently used elaborate expressions to describe the relationship, including the claim that the friendship is “higher than the mountains and deeper than the oceans”.

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What the Taiwan airline episode revealed

Chellaney characterised the temporary restriction as an example of “anticipatory obedience”, suggesting that Pakistani authorities acted in expectation of what they believed Beijing would want, without first establishing whether China itself sought such a measure.

The swift reversal after Beijing reportedly expressed surprise, he argued, exposed the gap between Pakistan’s efforts to protect China’s sensitivities and Beijing’s own handling of the issue. The episode, therefore, became an illustration of how Islamabad’s efforts to signal loyalty can sometimes go further than China’s actual position.