India and Pakistan's escalating military attacks against one another in recent weeks, which brought the two antagonistic powers closer to major conflict than they had been in years, called attention to another stakeholder in the region: China.

Following last month's terrorist assault on tourists in Kashmir, the two nuclear-armed nations' escalating violence seemed to resolve with a shaky but stable weekend ceasefire. But China has maintained its keen interest in what happens in its national backyard.

China as 'primary arms supplier'
Pakistan's claim that its forces used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets to down Indian aircraft, "including the advanced French-made Rafale," may have provided the world's "first real glimpse" at how "advanced Chinese military technology performs against proven Western hardware," CNN said. Though it hasn't fought a major war in nearly half a century, China has "raced to modernize its armed forces."

As Pakistan's "primary arms supplier," Beijing is "likely watching intently" to gauge how well its weapons "have and potentially will perform in real combat." China has "deepened its investment in its advocacy and patronage of Pakistan," The New York Times said, in the face of warming Indian-American relations, and the country is supplying the "vast majority" of Pakistan's military purchases.

Meanwhile, India is turning westward for its arms. The latest spate of violence also offers a "potentially rich intelligence harvest" for China, which has sufficiently advanced capabilities to "deeply scrutinize Indian actions in real time" across border installations, naval fleets, "as well as from space," Reuters said.

'Peace, stability and development'
China and Pakistan enjoy close military and diplomatic ties, and Beijing has conspicuously — and perhaps surprisingly — pushed for restraint during the violence in Kashmir. India and Pakistan both are "important countries in South Asia," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun late last month. The "harmonious coexistence" between the two rival nations is "vital to the peace, stability and development" of the region. 

At the same time, Pakistan's alleged use of Chinese-made fighter jets to successfully repel Indian planes is "essentially a powerful advertisement" for China's arms industry, said military observer Antony Wong Dong to CNN. "All countries potentially looking to buy fighter jets, as well as China's regional rivals, will need to seriously reconsider: How should they face this new reality?"

Pope Leo XIV may have broken a historic barrier by becoming the first pontiff from the U.S., but his views on the Catholic Church could harken back to more traditional times. There are also areas of the church's doctrine where he takes a more progressive stance, similar to his predecessor, Pope Francis.

LGBTQ+ rights
Leo is less progressive on LGBTQ+ issues than his predecessor. "Who am I to judge?," Francis famously said of gay Catholics. But Leo has said that "media depictions of the modern family present a major challenge to the Catholic Church," per The Washington Post.

He has spoken out against what the National Catholic Register has called "disordered sexual practices and ideologies," including same-sex relationships. When he was a bishop in Peru, Leo also "opposed a plan to teach transgenderism in schools." However, while he is more strict about the church's anti-LGBTQ+ stance, Leo has also taken a "somewhat neutral position on Fiducia Supplicans," a 2023 Catholic Church doctrine that "allowed for blessings of people in same-sex couples."

Abortion and women's health
The Catholic Church generally opposes expanded reproductive care, and Leo has "criticized abortion in his homilies, often tying the issue of abortion to euthanasia," said Newsweek. People "cannot build a just society if we discard the weakest — whether the child in the womb or the elderly in their frailty," Leo said in a 2019 speech as a cardinal. He was also a member of his university's anti-abortion club, the Post said.

When it comes to other women's health issues like contraception and IVF, Leo "has not made clear his views," said The 19th. This is in line with Francis, who during his time as pope "typically avoided highlighting reproductive health."

Political stance
Leo has "shared posts on X about political issues for years, including criticism of the Trump administration's stances on immigration," said CBS News. This includes reposting an article that condemned Vice President J.D. Vance's "response to a question on immigration." Leo also spoke harshly of the first Trump administration's migrant policy several times as a cardinal. He previously voted in some Republican primaries in his home state of Illinois.