Pakistan, China Discuss New Regional Bloc to Potentially Replace SAARC: Report

ISLAMABAD/BEIJING:
Pakistan and China are reportedly working on an ambitious plan to establish a new regional organisation that could replace the long-stalled South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), diplomatic sources told Pakistan’s Express Tribune newspaper.

According to the report, talks between Islamabad and Beijing are at an advanced stage, with both sides convinced of the need for a new forum to strengthen regional integration and connectivity in South Asia.

The move is seen as an attempt to overcome the chronic paralysis of SAARC, which has been inactive for nearly a decade due to tensions between member states—especially India and Pakistan.

SAARC: A Dormant Bloc

SAARC, founded in 1985, comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Afghanistan.

Intended as a vehicle for regional cooperation, the bloc has been effectively frozen since the last summit in 2014, which ended without agreement on a next meeting. Persistent hostility between India and Pakistan has blocked progress, while crises in Afghanistan have further complicated coordination.

The proposal reported by Pakistani media suggests China and Pakistan want to reshape the regional architecture by launching a new organisation that might attract the participation of other South Asian nations disillusioned with SAARC’s failure to deliver on its promises.

Proposed Membership and Diplomacy

Citing diplomatic sources, the Express Tribune reported that India would be invited to the new proposed forum, along with Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Afghanistan.

The plan reportedly includes integrating South Asian countries more closely with China’s connectivity projects and broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with the aim of fostering trade, infrastructure development, and diplomatic cooperation.

A recent trilateral meeting in Kunming, China, involving diplomats from Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh, was highlighted in the report as part of ongoing efforts to lay the groundwork for the new grouping.

Bangladesh Denies Alliance Talks

However, Bangladesh’s interim government has pushed back strongly against suggestions that it is part of any emerging political alliance with China and Pakistan.

Officials in Dhaka dismissed the idea of an “alliance,” clarifying that the Kunming meeting was not political in nature.

"We are not part of any such plan. The Kunming meeting was a normal diplomatic engagement, with no discussion about forming an alternative to SAARC," a Bangladeshi government spokesperson reportedly said.

China’s Growing Role in South Asia

China’s involvement in the proposed initiative underscores Beijing’s growing strategic interest in South Asia.

Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has invested heavily in infrastructure across the region—from Pakistan’s Gwadar Port under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to roads and energy projects in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Analysts note that Beijing sees South Asia as a vital arena for expanding trade routes, securing energy supplies, and balancing U.S. and Indian influence in the Indo-Pacific.

India’s Likely Position

India, while named as a potential invitee to the proposed new bloc, is expected to treat such moves with suspicion.

New Delhi has consistently resisted China-led multilateral frameworks in South Asia that it sees as threatening its regional leadership.

Moreover, India remains wary of China's close alliance with Pakistan, particularly in the context of border disputes, security concerns, and competitive infrastructure diplomacy in the neighborhood.

SAARC’s Future in Doubt

The potential creation of a new regional organisation underscores the crisis facing SAARC.

While SAARC was envisioned as a forum for economic integration and people-to-people ties, its inability to convene summits or launch significant regional projects has led to calls for reform or even replacement.

India has instead focused on the BIMSTEC grouping (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), which excludes Pakistan but includes several South Asian and Southeast Asian states.

Pakistan and China’s new proposal could be seen as a counter to India’s pivot to BIMSTEC, offering an alternative platform where China plays a central role.

Strategic Competition in the Region

If realised, the new China-backed bloc would deepen the region’s geopolitical complexity, creating overlapping groupings and rivalries.

Such competition could force countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives to balance carefully between competing Chinese and Indian offers of infrastructure funding and development aid.

At the same time, smaller states may see value in multiple platforms that can be used to negotiate better deals, diversify partnerships, and avoid overdependence on any one power.

What Comes Next?

The Express Tribune report stressed that the proposal remains in development, with Islamabad and Beijing holding intensive consultations.

Key details—such as the new bloc’s name, structure, agenda, and founding membership—have not yet been finalised.

How India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and others respond to formal invitations will likely determine whether the proposal gains traction or fades as another unfulfilled diplomatic idea.

Conclusion

The news of Pakistan and China planning a new regional organisation to replace SAARC highlights shifting diplomatic dynamics in South Asia.

While the plan remains preliminary, it signals both countries’ shared interest in promoting alternative frameworks that reduce India’s dominant role in regional forums.

Whether such a grouping can overcome existing rivalries, secure broad participation, and deliver meaningful integration remains an open question—but it is certain to add a new layer to the strategic chessboard of South Asia.

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