ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the consistent dichotomy on stances towards China between PSA states on the one hand, and India on the other. While Pakistan's relations with China and India have sharply contrasted since 1963, that is not the case with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, whose relations with both powers have often been close. The former's China policies did not dramatically change following China's rapid growth, nor is there evidence that they have good relations with China because of poor relations with India. Whereas the region's core-power, India, has had a long history of competitive relations with China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have had friendly, even close, ties to Beijing for decades. China was instrumental in persuading Pakistan and Afghanistan to pursue shared security interests in addressing militant threats. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, falling within the PACOM AoR and hence the pivot's remit, betray few policy shifts on that account.
