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What’s at stake for China as border tensions flare between Iran and Pakistan?
- Tehran and Islamabad have mounted attacks across each other’s borders to target rebel groups
- Beijing has close ties with both countries and a big interest in quelling turbulence in the region
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China is expected to step up its engagement to protect its interests in Iran and Pakistan after the two countries mounted tit-for-tat attacks in each other’s border areas this week, analysts say.
But the attacks – the latest episode in a turbulent area at the centre of an independence movement that also involves part of Afghanistan – are unlikely to descend into broader conflict, they say.
Two children died on Tuesday night when Iran fired on two targets in Balochistan province in Pakistan, according to Pakistani authorities.
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Tehran said it was targeting Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni separatist group that operates mostly in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province bordering Pakistan, where the ethnic Baloch are people seeking independence.
Pakistan hit back on Thursday, killing nine people – including three children – in a border village in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Iran said.
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Islamabad said it too was targeting rebel armed groups hiding in Iran.
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