China has publicly acknowledged for the first time that its personnel provided direct technical assistance to Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025, marking a significant shift in Beijing’s public stance on the conflict.
According to reports by the South China Morning Post citing interviews aired on Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television, engineers from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China worked alongside Pakistani military personnel during the four-day confrontation to maintain Chinese-origin fighter aircraft and defence systems at “full combat capability”.
The disclosure comes months after Indian military officials alleged that China actively supported Pakistan during Operation Sindoor through satellite monitoring, intelligence-sharing and strategic coordination.
The operation itself was launched by India on May 7, 2025, following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces targeting terror infrastructure across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
While Beijing had earlier downplayed accusations of involvement, analysts believe the latest statements indicate not only deeper China-Pakistan defence cooperation but also an effort by Beijing to showcase the effectiveness of its military technology on the global stage.
Chinese Engineers Reveal Conflict Role
The latest disclosures emerged through interviews aired by CCTV featuring engineers from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key arm of AVIC responsible for developing several of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial systems.
One engineer, Zhang Heng, described the atmosphere at a support base in Pakistan during the conflict, saying fighter jets were constantly taking off while air-raid sirens echoed through the area. “At the support base, we constantly heard fighter jets roaring into the sky and air-raid sirens blaring,” Zhang said in the interview.
He also spoke about the difficult working conditions, noting that temperatures touched nearly 50 degrees Celsius during the operation, making the assignment both physically and mentally exhausting.
Zhang stated that the Chinese team’s primary responsibility was to ensure that aircraft and associated systems functioned at “full combat capability” throughout the confrontation. His comments are being viewed as the clearest public indication so far that Chinese personnel were directly involved in assisting Pakistani military operations during the conflict.
Another engineer, Xu Da, compared the Chinese-made J-10CE fighter aircraft to a “child” nurtured by the engineering team before being handed over to Pakistan. Reflecting on the aircraft’s reported performance during the confrontation, Xu remarked that the results “did not surprise” the team and that the aircraft had simply needed the “right opportunity” to prove itself.
The J-10CE is the export version of China’s J-10C 4.5-generation multirole fighter aircraft and is equipped with advanced features such as an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and long-range PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
Pakistan remains the only known foreign operator of the J-10C series after signing a defence deal with China in 2020 to procure 36 fighter jets and around 250 missiles. In addition to the J-10CE fleet, Pakistan’s air force also relies heavily on the jointly developed JF-17 fighter aircraft, another symbol of deep defence cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, nearly 80 per cent of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2021 and 2025 came from China. Defence analysts believe Beijing’s public discussion of its wartime support role may also be aimed at strengthening confidence in Chinese military technology among prospective international buyers, especially as reports suggest China is considering supplying its fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter aircraft to Pakistan in the future.
India’s Claims Of Chinese Support
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, including tourists. Indian authorities described the operation as a targeted and punitive campaign designed to dismantle terror infrastructure operating across the Line of Control and deeper inside Pakistan and PoJK.
According to Indian officials, the strikes targeted camps and operational centres linked to terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, with more than 100 terrorists reportedly killed during the operation. Even during the conflict, senior Indian military officials had alleged that China was playing a more active role behind the scenes than publicly acknowledged.
Speaking at a seminar on “New Age Military Technologies” organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry in July 2025, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R Singh accused China of using its satellite network to monitor Indian military deployments and share real-time intelligence inputs with Pakistan. He claimed Pakistan continued receiving Chinese support even during DGMO-level military talks between India and Pakistan.
Lt Gen Singh compared Beijing’s strategy to the ancient Chinese military doctrine known as “killing with a borrowed knife”, one of the famous “36 stratagems” in Chinese warfare philosophy. According to Singh, China appeared to be using Pakistan as a proxy to exert strategic pressure on India while simultaneously observing and testing the effectiveness of its own military systems under real combat conditions.
At the time, Chinese foreign ministry officials and military representatives largely brushed aside these accusations, while state-linked Chinese social media accounts amplified Pakistani claims that Indian fighter jets had been shot down during the conflict. Pakistan, however, did not provide independent evidence to support many of those claims.
Chinese media outlets also remained notably quiet on reports of damage suffered by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, including Indian strikes on terror headquarters, airbases and radar systems allegedly supplied by China.
The latest admissions by Chinese engineers have now reignited debate over the extent of Beijing’s operational involvement during the conflict and what it means for the evolving security dynamics in South Asia. Strategic experts believe the disclosures may signal China’s growing confidence in openly projecting its military-industrial capabilities, particularly at a time when global defence markets are becoming increasingly competitive.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The public acknowledgement of Chinese technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor highlights how modern conflicts are increasingly shaped not only by neighbouring rivals but also by powerful geopolitical partnerships. While governments often frame such alliances through the lens of national security and strategic necessity, the wider consequences are felt most deeply by ordinary citizens living in regions already burdened by instability, fear and mistrust.
The continued militarisation of South Asia coupled with the testing and showcasing of advanced defence systems during active conflict risks creating an environment where escalation becomes easier than dialogue. The growing involvement of external powers in regional tensions also raises difficult questions about accountability, transparency and the ethical implications of turning real conflicts into demonstrations of military technology.
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