10 Chinese and Pakistani Nuclear Postures and Strategies

This chapter, written by Šumit Ganguly and Spencer Warren for The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in Asia, examines the nuclear modernization programs of China and Pakistan. It argues that these developments are shaped by a set of interlocking security relationships—between the United States and China, China and India, and India and Pakistan—rather than by any single bilateral rivalry. The chapter traces how Chinese efforts to enhance security relative to the United States tend to diminish Indian security, prompting Indian responses that in turn reduce Pakistani security. In doing so, it situates Chinese and Pakistani nuclear politics within a broader, cascading regional dynamic.