Illustration of snow-capped high mountain peaks with a small drone in the sky, representing the Karakoram 2026 China-Pakistan army exercise.

Karakoram 2026: China and Pakistan Hold First Joint Army Drill

by

China and Pakistan opened Karakoram 2026, a joint training exercise for their armies, on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, at a training base in the Korla area of China’s Xinjiang region, according to the PLA Daily and Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper. The drills focus on counterterrorism clearance operations at high altitude and are scheduled to run until late October.

China’s Ministry of National Defense has described it as the first joint army training between the two countries. The two militaries already cooperate at sea, in the air and along their shared mountain border.

What Karakoram 2026 Involves

Senior Col. Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China’s defense ministry, announced the exercise at a press briefing on Oct. 10. He said it would include skills training in drone operation, on-the-move target search and firing, and long-range sniping, and would cover joint command and live-force exercises. The activity, he said, would help the two sides deepen cooperation and strengthen interoperability in counterterrorism.

The PLA Daily reported that the Chinese contingent is drawn from a regiment of the Xinjiang Military District and includes armored, unmanned systems, firepower, intelligence, engineering and medical specialists. The two sides will set up a joint command post to rehearse joint planning, coordination of operations, and command and control.

Opening Ceremony in Korla

At the opening ceremony, the national flags of China and Pakistan were raised as both anthems played, and troops from both armies wore a shared training armband, the PLA Daily said. The leaders of each side’s guidance group gave speeches.

After the ceremony, the two sides exchanged combat case studies and counterterrorism experience, and Pakistani personnel viewed some Chinese weapons and equipment, according to Anadolu Agency and Dawn, which cited China Military Bugle, the official media account of China’s armed forces.

Why High-Altitude Counterterrorism

The exercise takes its name from the Karakoram range, the mountain wall between Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region and Xinjiang that the Karakoram Highway crosses at the Khunjerab Pass. That road is a key link for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Beijing’s flagship investment program in Pakistan.

Security for that program is a recurring concern. Chinese nationals working on projects in Pakistan have been targeted in militant attacks in recent years, including a March 2024 suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers near Besham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A counterterrorism theme in mountain terrain lines up with the kind of ground where those projects operate.

The drills also follow other recent border activity. In September, troops from the two countries held a joint patrolling exercise at the Mantika Pass, at an altitude of about 4,700 meters near Khunjerab top in Hunza, Dawn reported. In May, the two governments reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation and strategic coordination.

Regional Context for Karakoram 2026

The exercise comes during a busy period for Pakistan’s armed forces. Pakistani and Indian forces fought a short conflict in May 2025, during which Pakistan flew Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets. Pakistan’s air role in Saudi Arabia’s response to Houthi attacks has also drawn attention, as The Boston Report covered in Pakistan Saudi Houthi Airstrikes: Mecca Pact Air Role Debated.

For China, the drill adds to a crowded schedule of military activity. This week the People’s Liberation Army also ran a combat readiness patrol near Taiwan. Drone skills feature heavily in Karakoram 2026, reflecting a shift across modern militaries explained in our Drone Warfare Guide.

Chinese military media said the mixed units will continue training in the Korla area through the second half of October.

Sources