Munir Dressed Down In Beijing – Why China Publicly Humiliated Pakistan’s Field Marshal

China has expressed strong displeasure over the security of its citizens in Pakistan. During General Asim Munir’s visit to Beijing, Wang Yi reprimanded him in stern language. Concerns have been raised over the safety of the CPEC.

New Delhi: As Pakistan’s Field Marshal General Asim Munir landed in Beijing, China, he may have expected warm protocol and backroom praise. What awaited him instead was a diplomatic cold front. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not mince words. Behind closed doors, he conveyed China’s anger in a tone too firm to be misread. The reason: Beijing’s growing impatience over Islamabad’s failure to protect Chinese nationals working on high-stakes infrastructure projects inside Pakistan.

The message was blunt. China’s patience had worn thin.

Despite repeated promises by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration and repeated assurances from Pakistan’s military brass, attacks on Chinese engineers, workers and contractors continue to rattle the strategic corridors of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The tipping point came weeks ago when Chinese intelligence flagged growing threats in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These were not empty threats. They came from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a group that had struck before and shown no hesitation.

Beijing had already lost nine engineers in the 2021 Dasu hydropower suicide bombing. Two years later, gunmen attacked a convoy in Karachi. Each time, Pakistani authorities offered apologies. Each time, Chinese officials demanded more than words.

The latest rebuke was not a quiet note or a formal protest. It was personal, direct and made at the highest levels, right in front of the field marshal himself.

Sources familiar with the meeting say the Chinese foreign minister did not hide his frustration. He reminded Munir that the CPEC was not only a trade route, but a pillar of China’s global ambitions. An investment of over $60 billion was at stake. “If you cannot guarantee security, how can we guarantee cooperation?” That was the unspoken line behind the tight diplomatic exchange.

Munir, according to officials briefed on the matter, assured Beijing that Pakistan’s military would step up patrols, harden site security and crack down on militant cells near critical infrastructure. He promised deeper counter-terror coordination. He promised results.

But these promises come at a time when Pakistan is fighting battles on many fronts. The economy is gasping for relief. Taliban factions roam freely across the western border. The insurgency in Balochistan continues to simmer. Resources are stretched thin. And despite a heavily militarised presence, the army appears unable to contain all threats simultaneously.

China has taken note. The words from Wang Yi were not about disappointment. They were a warning.

Behind the diplomatic language, a simple truth hangs in the air: Beijing is no longer willing to look the other way.