LONDON — Nuclear-armed Pakistan is a key ally of the United States — but the relationship is far from untroubled. And one of Washington’s main geopolitical rivals appears ready to step in.

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Pakistan’s role in China’s global trade plans means a military base would make sense. The Chinese “may have strong incentives to protect their assets,” said Sameer Lalwani, a research fellow at the Stimson Center, a think tank based in Washington.

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