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Abstract China and Pakistan have been each other’s only “all-weather friend” for decades, but the relationship remains little understood. This book recounts the history of the Sino–Pakistani axis, including details of its most sensitive aspects, such as China’s dealings with the Taliban and its support for Pakistan’s nuclear program. Today this relationship plays a central role in Asia’s geopolitics, with ramifications for Afghanistan, India, Asia as a whole, and the West. Finally, the book discusses the dilemma China faces in maintaining its current relationship with Pakistan. It focuses on the collision between China’s take-off as a great power and the rise of militant Islam — how Beijing’s economic might and geostrategic ambitions are turning it into a jihadi target, and what that means not only for the West’s relationship with China but also for Western policy in states such as Afghanistan, where Beijing is finally stepping up its role.