India and Pakistan engaged in the most intense fighting in decades with four days of escalating conflict that included fighter jets, missiles and drones packed with explosives. It ended almost as abruptly as it began.

When asked to comment on media reports that India and Pakistan had reached a consensus on Saturday to immediately cease fire and hold further talks, and that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had spoken separately by phone on Monday night with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Indian National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Doval,

Increasing Western military support to India, and China’s to Pakistan, signals a shift in global alignments — and another potential flashpoint for international tensions.