Pakistan-China team up to defeat common rival India in the domain of Cyber Warfare
Cyber warfare and propaganda have been deep-rooted in China’s strategy to defeat its rivals. China’s Cyber Warfare arsenal incorporates Cyber Attacks, Artificial Intelligence, and also Social Media Warfare in the form of Online Terror and threats that consists of Trolls that worsen controversies.
In recent years, Beijing (capital of China) and Islamabad (Capital of Pakistan) have heightened their association in the information technology sphere. Cyber collaboration is a pivotal segment of the ‘Long-Term Plan (2017–2030) for china- Pakistan Economic passage. The plan highlights ICT- empower development and promotion of e-commerce in Pakistan. It is been speculated that such agreements between China and Pakistan is a strategic way to mask their offensive Cyber operations.
There are no two ways about the fact that China is a self-sustained superpower having considerable Cyber offensive capabilities. With China’s support extended to Pakistan in the domain, Pakistan certainly will end up gaining largely in the region. As per reports, an information security lab is being inaugurated under the national Electronics complex of Pakistan in the Cyber warfare domain already to further its objectives in the region.
By backing Pakistan, China aspired to fix its long-stained image. On the other hand, Pakistan too has supported China, by playing pro-China chronicles. During the Galwan Valley clash, Pakistan instigates propaganda against India, in which the news was outspread that only a few Chinese soldiers were injured during the clash.
On the other hand, India too has been honing its Cyber offensive capabilities to counter the China-Pakistan Cyber bloc. India has gone beyond the traditional governmental methods and is now taking assistance from Cyber espionage firms in the country such as Phronesis, also sought to be serving UAE; Srivastava Group, Aglaya, once aspiring to serve Middle East etc.
Over time Indian APT groups like SideWinder, Viceroy Tiger, and firms like Srivastava Group, Phronesis, and Aglaya have played vital roles in establishing India’s cyber capabilities (offensive and defensive) against the rising misinformation campaigns. Meanwhile, firms like Lucideus, Kratikal Tech Pvt Ltd, Data Resolve Technologies, Techdefence Labs, and others are propping up India’s cyber power of defense. Past exposures about Indian Cyber operations indicate that the country has acquired considerable Cyber offensive capabilities and is almost at par with its rivals in Asia.
In the end, we can say that since India has been consistently evolving its Cyber offensive capabilities, it would have been tough for Pakistan to stand against it in the region without assistance from a giant like China and hence the support it is getting from China will certainly prove beneficial for Pakistan to achieve its long-standing objectives in the region.
