The US-China rivalry is increasingly playing out in Pakistan, where the superpowers are investing hefty sums.
Washington wants to spend $1.25 billion to secure supplies of critical minerals, though the Pakistani region it is focused on has since become a locus of violence: A militant group launched attacks across several towns, and the military said it killed upwards of 200 fighters in response.
The unrest in Balochistan, where China is already a major investor, “is a test case of Pakistan’s international guarantees,” a former minister told The Wall Street Journal. Chinese firms are upping their bets, regardless: The EV giant BYD told Nikkei it would begin assembling some of its vehicles in the country this year.
